


A Requiem for Fireflies

by Ocean_inthe_Sun



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, At Least None Planned for Now, BAMF (Sai), BAMF Gaara (Naruto), BAMF Haruno Sakura, BAMF Tsunade (Naruto), BAMF Uzumaki Naruto, BAMF Yamanaka Ino, Eventual Romance, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, Fae!Haruno Sakura, Foursome - F/M/M/M, Haruno Sakura & Yamanaka Ino Friendship, Issues of Magical Racism, Kitsune!Uzumaki Naruto, M/M, Multi, No Sex, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Polyamory, Pretty Much Everyone Deserving is Badass, Prince Gaara, Sakura's Parents Kind of Suck, Slow Burn, Sort of Pushes Futuristic in Some Aspects, Strong Haruno Sakura, Tanuki!Gaara, Threesome - M/M/M, Werecat!Sai, Witch!Tsunade, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:08:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 142,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24357085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ocean_inthe_Sun/pseuds/Ocean_inthe_Sun
Summary: In a world pulsing with magic, being born with gifts is usually a celebrated event. Not so for Haruno Sakura, a young fae whose recently come into exceedingly rare and mysterious Summoning magic. It binds her soul with three others: a werecat, tanuki and kitsune, each a force to be reckoned with on their own. Each eventually staking out a place in her heart for himself. Learning to navigate the complexity of their feelings only scratches the surface with dangerous forces who'll do anything to exploit her and her allies on the prowl.
Relationships: Gaara/Haruno Sakura, Gaara/Sai (Naruto), Gaara/Sai/Uzumaki Naruto, Gaara/Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura/Sai, Haruno Sakura/Uzumaki Naruto, Sai/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 15
Kudos: 68





	1. Forestalling Fate

**Author's Note:**

> Originally this story was posted to my FFN account on 2/14/18. After a lot of thinking, I will be reposting it here as well. I realize that this particular group pairing and plot sort of falls into a niche but I hope people enjoy all the same. I really am fond of this fic.

Sakura shrugged her jacket closer as she brushed by strangers, trying her best not to bump shoulders with anyone. Clutched tight in her palm was the softly glowing crystal; the faint pulse of it was soothing. The young girl sighed, shouldering between two people who had stopped to take a selfie. Normally, she wouldn't have been so rude, but getting off the phone after talking to her mother tended to put her in a dark place. All she ever asked was when Sakura would finally decide to stop being childish and come home. " _Never,_ " was always the bitter answer. Not as long as her godmother Tsunade continued to accommodate her with a room.

It was a modest but peaceful existence on the outskirts of town, living in the flat above Tsunade's small but popular crystal shop. When Sakura had moved in, it had only been Tsunade and Shizune and the cute little pig named TonTon. Then Shizune had gotten married and moved out after a while. Still, she was able to see her almost every day, because she still assisted Tsunade in the shop, just as Sakura did.

This errand was to assist Tsunade. In her mind, Sakura didn't see Tsunade fairing very well if not for her help. And Shizune's, of course. Try telling her stubborn guardian that, though. She pushed her way through the door of the little cottage sitting extraneously between an art studio and a pizza place. Filled with antiques and oddities from around the world, the space she stepped into seemed to exist in a bubble that kept it separate from the trappings of modernization just outside the door, a bubble that left it untouched by time.

"Chiyo-obaa!" Sakura called, glancing around. The strangely patterned wind-chime above the door announced her arrival. It was a rather morbid image on the stain glass of a skeletal reaper draped in a cloak peering down on a naked woman. It had been above the door for as long as Sakura had been visiting, and she supposed in a way, it suited a shop like this with owners as…odd as these.

The stout old woman was nowhere to be found. The place, full of dusty tomes, deformed skeletons of small creatures sitting in jars, and quite a few spooky portraits, always carried a certain tension in the air. Like a bony hand could reach around from behind a shelf and grab her shoulder.

Sakura walked closer to the counter, peering behind it. There on the floor was the shop's elderly owner, in her heavy robes and knit-cap with her stubby wings bent awkwardly, seemingly lifeless. Dropping to her knees, Sakura lightly shook the woman's shoulder. "Chiyo-obaa, you can stop pretending. It's just me."

The woman sat up abruptly, blinking. "Eh?! Sakura-chan, you're here a bit early."

Sakura glanced at the woman in confusion. She was a bit… _eccentric_ to put it lightly. Surely, Sakura hoped, she wasn't as senile as she always tried to make herself out to be. "This is the time you told me to come…on the date you told me to be here?" She held up the fuchsia gem she'd been told to bring.

Chiyo climbed to her feet and brushed out her robes. The crone barely came to her collarbone, and considering that Sakura had a fairly diminutive stature, it didn't speak much for Chiyo's own height. "Oh, you're right! Silly me." And then she cackled wildly, making her way over to a shelf behind the counter. Sakura watched her climb up onto a stool and then pull down a dusty wooden box. "Here we are, the ingredient you ordered." Sakura accepted the intricately carved box as though she were accepting treasure. She had no idea what was inside, but an ingredient for one of Tsunade's latest tonics was important regardless.

"Thank you," she smiled, handing over the crystal in payment.

Chiyo held it up to the light with her long, gnarled nails, squinting as she examined it. Finally, her wrinkled mouth stretched into a warm smile. "Oh, such a sweet girl. Nothing like that…that bimbo." The long-standing feud between Tsunade and Chiyo was a point of contention whenever she visited.

Though Chiyo held a fondness for Sakura herself, just the mention of her godmother's name got her rankled. When Tsunade wasn't mentioned, Chiyo brought her up, only to curse her name. Curiously, Tsunade had no recollection of when the other woman started hating her. She never remembered a feud at all. Telling Chiyo that would likely only incite more rage and hatred though, so Sakura would smile through the insults directed at her admired mentor, and take leave.

"Ahaha…" Sakura forced out an awkward laugh. "Well, I should get going. Gotta get this back to the shop." Because despite Chiyo's hatred, business was business and the old crone could at least understand that much. Tengu were shrewd creatures, to make up for their finicky natures.

"Oh dear, leaving already?" Chiyo frowned. "I haven't scared you off, have I?" She reached to grab for one of Sakura's hands.

Not wanting to insult the tengu, Sakura shook her head. "Oh no, that's really not it."

"Good!" Chiyo crowed. "You'll stay for snacks then."

"Uh, I really shouldn't—"

"Hey, what's going on up here?" The door to the backroom of the shop opened, and a full head of russet hair and aloof cinnamon eyes appeared. "Awful lot of noise, and it's hard to concentrate…You're not dead for real this time, are you? I thought I heard something that sounded like someone in the final throes of death."

Chiyo whirled around, dropping Sakura's hand. "And wouldn't you like that? You ungrateful no-good."

"Damn right I would," the male snorted, stepping further into the room. "So hurry and drop dead already," His eyes landed on her, and a smirk made his deceptively beautiful face a little less pleasant.

Sakura's mouth twisted disapprovingly at Chiyo's only grandson, the ever impatient and rude Sasori. The cruel words always came out so acerbically, it was hard to see it as a joke. More than his disregard for his grandmother's life, what annoyed Sakura more was his endless provocation. "Look who's dropped by again," he said coolly, his hazel eyes meeting her green ones. "Running errands, eh? For the esteemed Tsunade, no doubt."

Sakura lifted her chin. "Unlike you, I believe in helping my family."

Sasori snorted. "And doesn't that just make you a good little girl scout." He folded his arms, leaning casually in the doorframe. "You know, I really hate brats like you, doing good deeds and then quietly looking for validation."

"Well I despise spoiled, short-tempered tengu." Sakura countered. Sasori's eyes narrowed, and then he smirked. His large, tawny wings fluttered restlessly.

"Heh. You see? There you go, sassing with that mouth again." He sauntered forward, leaning against the counter and into Sakura's personal space. "Haven't you ever heard of respect for your superiors?"

Sakura grinned. "Show me my superior and I'll be respectful."

Sasori scowled, flustered. "Why you little—"

Chiyo's raucous laugh cut the tension from the air. Sasori stared at his grandmother blankly, and Sakura blinked. She'd won that round. Out-sassed Sasori and—

Chiyo took her by the elbow, "She's put you in your place enough for now. You can slink back into that workshop of yours." The old tengu waved a weathered hand dismissively at her grandson.

He stared between them, and Sakura was expecting him to saying something snide in defiance. Instead, he sneered with a "Che…" before returning to the room he'd come out of, feathers literally ruffled. Tengu were proud. Sometimes to the point of arrogance. And losing in a battle of tongue and cheek never sat well with Sasori. Sakura fully expected he'd be ready to pay back the slight in full the next time she saw him.

Once he was gone, the stout old woman gave Sakura a wrinkled smile, her eyes twinkling. "So you were staying for snacks, weren't you dear?"  
"Actually—" Sakura had agreed to no such thing and she suspected Chiyo knew that. She was pushy and persistent and good at strong-arming others.

"Oh humor an old lady," Chiyo sighed. "You see what I'm forced to endure," she nodded in the direction of Sasori's closed door. Sakura reluctantly hung her head.

"Fifteen minutes. That's all I can stay. I've got to get this back…" She looked at the box in her hands, its contents still a mystery. Did she want to peek? Of course. But Tsunade hadn't told her what she was picking up, just that Chiyo would be expecting her. Whenever she didn't divulge details that meant that something she wasn't meant to know was underfoot.

Chiyo, happy with her answer, was more than willing to ignore the first part of it as she shuffled Sakura into her own workroom, one almost hidden under the stairs that led to the shop's second floor. The pinkette released a sigh as Chiyo gestured for her to sit on one of the plush cushions on the floor. The little space was decorated with some of Chiyo's own personal affects, a quiet alcove of seclusion where she gave her readings.

More than once, Chiyo had offered to divine Sakura's future. Specifically, to divine matters she felt were best left unknown for the time-being. Such as whether or not she had Summoner potential. Sakura huffed as she watched Chiyo bring over a simple snack of oolong tea by the smell of it, and an assortment of candies. It was almost like the crafty old woman had _expected_ she'd be able to corner Sakura into staying.

In truth, the pinkette wouldn't put it past her. Setting Tsunade's parcel aside, Sakura accepted the tea, though she wasn't particularly thirsty. She took a polite sip so she wouldn't offend her host, and Chiyo settled across from her, looking pleased. They sipped tea in companionable silence for all but a precious few minutes, and then Chiyo sat her cup down on the low table in between them, cleared her throat, and eyed Sakura keenly. The girl braced herself. She could almost predict what was coming.

"Sakura-chan…you've become of age recently, haven't you?"

Sakura felt her lips pull into a small frown. That much was obvious…Chiyo could tell just by looking at her forehead. There, in the center, was the small purple rhombus that signified that she'd awakened. She'd considered concealing the mark, but Tsunade didn't hide hers, so she thought better of it. The only other indications of her fae heritage were the pointed ears and pink hair she'd had since birth. "Now is the best time." Chiyo sat aside her cup and rummaged under the table, pulling out a large oval stone set on a wooden cradle. "I'm almost sure you'll have quite a nice match."

Instantly, her verdant eyes took in the smooth marbled stone and her discomfort shifted into panic. The pinkette shook her head, starting to climb to her feet, formalities forgotten. "Please Chiyo-obaa, I can't…" She snatched up the wooden box. "I need to go." She said firmly.

"My dear, you can't keep running from destiny. I'm certain you, of all others, would have the ability."

Sakura swallowed, worrying her lip for a second. She was turned away from the tengu and her Divining Stone. The acute feeling of Chiyo's beady eyes gazing into the back of her head made her skin itch, though.

"I know…" she admitted, sounding defeated. "That's why I can't. There's no going back once you do."

Chiyo huffed, clearly put out.

"Thank you for the tea and sweets," Sakura managed to say politely.

She stepped back out into the shop, intending to make a clean escape through the front door. Unfortunately, Sasori was back in the front of the shop, this time arguing with a long-haired blonde male. "For the last time, something that does not last is meaningless." Sasori was saying, "All true art has an eternal quality—"

Sakura slunk down an aisle adjacent to the door, attempting to sneak past.

"Wrong, wrong, wrong." The blonde hissed. "Hearing you spout that bullshit like you might actually be _right_ makes my ears bleed." Sakura kept her head down and her steps quiet as she made for the door. She'd seen the blonde around a time or two. They'd never spoken, but sometimes when she came to pick up an order from Chiyo she'd hear the two arguing loudly from Sasori's workshop. Honestly, she couldn't tell if they were friends or not.

"If you think I'm wrong then what in the hell are you?" There was that condescending sneer to his voice that Sakura hated so much. "Because _your_ barbaric views most certainly don't fit the criteria of what makes art beautiful."

"How can you stand there and tell me you aren't impressed by my aesthetic?!" His voice was getting more heated. "It'd blow anyone with half a mind away—literally! Nothing screams true art more than that."

' _Almost there…'_ Sakura thought, glancing behind her. Neither seemed to be paying her any attention. They were up in each other's faces, making their cases with vivid gesticulating. Or, at least the man with the blond hair was. Sasori stood with his arms folded, cool and reserved as ever, his large cinnamon eyes almost bored.

Adrenaline already pounded through her veins after her discussion with Chiyo. The old woman meant well, she was sure, but if she had said it once, she had said it over a dozen times.

Sakura wasn't ready to find out if she had the potential to be a Summoner. The odds that she did were high, logistically speaking, and once one accepted that sort of responsibility, their life was changed forever. Never mind that society tended to place Summoners on pedestals, seeing as they were part of an ever shrinking segment of the population. Sakura didn't want to do anything so permanent until she had more miles on her soul and felt she was truly up to the task.

The old tengu had warned her that she couldn't keep running away from what was likely inevitable, and Sakura was smart enough to understand that, but…it didn't stop her doubts, her wariness and her reluctance. Knowing what was coming didn't make her ready to face it.

Her shoulder brushed by a tin can on a shelf, and it wobbled, already half over the edge. Sakura whirled around, reaching for it quickly to keep it from falling. A sigh of relief left her as she managed to scoot it back safely into its spot.

"Hey, what was that, un?"

Well, crap…

Sakura tensed, her back still to the two men in the room. She heard their footsteps coming closer.

"Who's she? Where'd she come from?"

"The brat that picks up orders from that old crone." Sasori was suddenly too close; she could feel it. He smelled like cedar and wood-stainer, "Eavesdropping isn't nice, _little girl_." he said lowly. Sakura puffed up.

"If we're going by maturity I'd say from what I just saw you're not much older than me…" she grumbled to herself. The blonde seemed to hear it, because he smirked approvingly.

Sasori, either graciously deciding to ignore it, or none the wiser, cleared his throat smoothly, "Come here, you'll be our definitive tie-breaker."

Sakura chanced a peek backwards to see Sasori beckoning her with a crooked finger.

Sakura could feel her cheeks growing hotter in anger. He was infuriating, constantly belittling her.

The other man, who she could now see had a long fringe of bangs covering his left eye, took her in from head to toe. His visible eye was a misty blue and bright with intrigue. "Not sure we've ever met. Name's Deidara. I run the studio next-door." Sakura was surprised he bothered to introduce himself, but she gave a polite nod anyway.

"I'm Sakura,"

Deidara stared at her a little in wonder, and then a grin settled on his face. "You're the little fae girl that gets under Sasori-danna's skin, hmm? Well, anyone that pisses him off is alright with me."

That caught her off guard, but anyone who shared a dislike or even mild intolerance to Sasori was alright with her too, and so she returned his smile.

"Stop flirting, you're both making me want to wretch." Sasori said bluntly. "Now, since you were listening in, you know what we were discussing. Tell us, which do you think is better? Something that signifies eternal beauty, or something flashy and pointless that's gone in an instant?"

Their stares both pressed down on her expectantly, and Sakura edged back again. The last thing she wanted was to get caught up in a heated debate.

"You look like you could use a little convincing, hm…Here, watch this." Deidara reached into the pocket on the front of his white work smock, pulling forth what looked like an ordinary lump of white clay. It did, however, have a charmingly sweet and earthy smell.

Sakura watched as he took his other hand and held it out palm upward, so she could see. Except for a heavy crease in the center, it looked like an ordinary hand to her. "Keep your eyes…on my hand, hm," he murmured, and Sakura started when the crease in his palm suddenly opened up to reveal a mouth, complete with a tongue and a set of razor sharp teeth.

Sakura looked into his face, her mouth trying to form coherent words. So many questions raced through her head. And it was rude, but suddenly she wondered what race he was. In all her reading, she'd never heard of any races with that physical trait. Deidara winked roguishly. "Impressed?"

Sakura nodded shyly. "A little," she admitted.

"Then you're gonna love the next part, un." He squished the clay between both palms, and Sakura could hear the faint sound of chewing. Unable to stop her curiosity, she shuffled closer as Deidara stared at his hands with a look of concentration.

When he pulled them apart, a small clay bird sat in his hands. It canted its head just like a real bird, before fluttering its wings and lifting into the air.

"Oi," she heard Sasori starting to protest. Whatever the rude, redheaded tengu had to say about it, Sakura couldn't care less.

Deidara's trick had her fascinated. The bird circled their heads a few times, before swooping down towards Sasori's. "And…katsu!" From the corner of her eyes, Sakura could see Deidara making some kind of hand seal, and the bird exploded just as Sasori used one of his wings to smack it away. The detonation was powerful enough to knock a few things from their shelves, shattering some of the more fragile merchandise.

Sakura stood gaping as Deidara laughed. She couldn't imagine Sasori going unscathed had that managed to connect. The commotion was enough to bring Chiyo running from the back, broom in hand and an angry scowl on her wrinkled face.  
"What in the blazes is going on—"

She noticed Sakura and lowered the broom slightly in surprise. "Oh, you're still here, dear?"

Swallowing, Sakura rubbed her palms against her shorts. "Yes, I was just—"

"Making herself useful for a change by helping us settle a score. Nothing you need to concern yourself with." Sasori stated dismissively.

"Harsh, even for you danna," Deidara glanced at Chiyo in pity, but the old woman didn't seem to be rising to Sasori's bait.

Her head swiveled to survey the damage. "My troublesome grandson's gone and found friends that are just as bad…You boys can clean up this mess. It'd better be spotless by the time I wake up from my afternoon nap!" Chiyo waved the broom around threateningly, and Deidara stepped back, hands raised defensively. Both mouths in his palms were frowning.

"You could always just take a dirt nap." Even as he grunted the insult, he still moved to clean up the mess, Deidara helping. "The next time you come around, you'd better tell Deidara that my art is far superior." he called to Sakura.

Chiyo shook her head in disdain, pulling Sakura aside. "I know I made you uncomfortable. That wasn't my intention, you know."

"I know," Sakura nodded.

"You're…I can tell you'll have a bright future, no matter what path you take. Just don't go getting mixed up with my horrible grandson!" she chided.

Sakura actually laughed. "No worries there. Well, I really do need to get this back home. Tsunade's not patient on a good day,"

Chiyo's smile was gentle. "Hurry along, and take care, dear. There's been a few whispers about strange things happening lately."

Sakura promised she'd be careful as she finally exited the shop. Mentally, she wondered what could be stranger than what was considered _normal_ in the city. She caught the city bus on the corner five blocks from Chiyo's shop, and silently took a seat by the window, staring down at the box in her lap. There were hardly any humans.

Instead, yokai, fae, spirits and the occasional minor deity lived in a tentative harmony within Konoha's city limits. And beyond, in other nations, there were great kingdoms were prominent clans had ruled for thousands of years, where there was even more magic and wonder and oddity around every corner. Someday, Sakura wanted to experience it all.

For now, she was content with her peaceful life apprenticing under Tsunade, her mentor, godmother and homeschool teacher all in one. It was different than the life she'd been living a few short years ago, moody and lonely at the stuffy private school her mother had forced her into.

Comparing that time to who she was at present, Sakura felt that she was happier, much more sure of herself. It didn't matter that her mother disapproved and her father was more or less silent on all of it. Her own satisfaction came first. The pinkette drummed her fingers against the little wooden parcel, wondering not for the first time about its contents.

Her fingers itched to pop the lid, but she managed to dig deep into the well of her self-control and refrain. It was Tsunade's business, and she wouldn't pry. The bus ride continued, Sakura watched idly as people boarded and exited, until finally, it had reached one of its last stops. Her stop. She hopped off, starting the walk from the bench at the edge of city limits to the inclined road that lead to Tsunade's cottage, perched at the top of the winding path, an expanse of forest as its backdrop.

Anyone who saw it from the outside would get the feeling of something quaint, charming and just shy of being remote. Inside, it was obvious, even to the most oblivious individual, that the walls were filled with magic. The buzz of it brushing against her skin always made Sakura feel safe.

And when she opened the door and stepped in, the rush of magic that moved to surround her was almost a balm that soothed the anxiety that hadn't left her since Chiyo's shop.

"I'm home!" she called up the stairs, moving into the kitchen and setting Tsunade's order down. Something brushed at her leg, and Sakura smiled down at the friendly little pig. She bent down and scratched under TonTon's chin. "I hope you've been able to keep Tsunade out of trouble?" she whispered to the animal.

The distressed squeal from the animal told her all she needed to know. TonTon raised her snout towards the stairs, and Sakura frowned as she heard what sounded like the slightly slurred voice of her godmother shouting at someone. "Not again…"

"You're a nasty old cheat and I want you out!"

That was without a doubt Tsunade.

"Tsunade," a man's voice sighed calmly. It was a voice she recognized very well. "We've been through this. I don't have any reason to cheat you…you're just not much of a gambler."

An older man with a long white mane came down the stairs, his arms wrapped around Tsunade's shoulders as he helped support her. There was a healthy flush on the apples of her cheeks and a glossy look to her brown eyes that let Sakura know that she was well on her way to drunkenness.

"I see she got a little carried away again," Sakura sighed as she stood. "Thank you Jiraiya-sama,"

Their attention was immediately directed towards her. "Ah Sakura! It's been a while, hasn't it?" Jiraiya smiled broadly. "And look how much you've grown up! You'll have to be careful around the boys now."

Sakura blushed at the compliment. So far, she didn't have any reason for concern. Boys didn't look at her any differently.

"If things keep going like they are then I'll be okay. Anyway, as you can see I've got my hands too full here to be thinking about those things," Sakura moved to Tsunade's other side and guided one of her limp arms around her shoulders so Jiraiya could step away.

"Thanks, kid. It's always like this when she starts losing, you know?"

"I do," Unfortunately. To Tsunade, she said, "You know you can't hold your sake…I don't know why you think being inebriated coupled with your bad luck would _help_ your odds." She was one of the few people on the planet who could get away with being this truthful to Tsunade, and not fear bodily harm.

Tsunade turned her head defiantly. "Feh…" Her eyes landed on the package Sakura had brought, and a small bit of soberness seemed to return to them.

"Is that it?"

"Huh?" Sakura followed her gaze. "Oh, yeah, it is."

"You were gone longer than it should have taken. You miss your bus on the way back?"

"It's not that…I just got a little, um, caught up at Chiyo-obaa's…You know how she gets."

Tsunade snorted. "Trying to push you into the Summoner Test again, eh. Figures,"

Sakura worried her lip, vaguely aware that Jiraiya was curiously listening to their conversation even as he rummaged through the fridge. "I know…I know I'm sixteen now, and that means I can take it. But I just don't feel ready. I—"

"Relax, Sakura. Breathe." Tsunade turned and suddenly it was the blonde who was giving her support. "I understand, and you know that I'm not going to push you towards that if you're not ready."

Sakura gave her godmother a shaky smile of gratitude. In the last year and all the way up until she'd turned sixteen, taking the test to confirm whether or not she did indeed possess Summoner magic was a source of almost constant anxiety. Most individuals with even a slim hope of having the potential were excited and hopeful, dreaming of the day they'd awaken to their magic and form a partnership with a yokai Familiar.

In the last few centuries, the birthrates of children born with Summoner magic had seen a sharp decline. Coupled into the fact that only certain races were capable of Summoning to begin with, fae being among them, and it made for an almost desperate situation. Governments had taken to scouting Summoners. They were paid handsomely and performed a number of various tasks for their nations. Some of them made public, and others top-secret. In exchange, they were said to live lavish lives and be given only the finest accommodations.

But that wasn't what Sakura wanted. She didn't leave a life of being her mother's puppet to become someone else's. Tsunade understood her worries and the reasons why she wanted to wait.

"Jack-pot!" They turned to see Jiraiya had emerged from his scavenging with a triumphant expression on his face. He was holding a covered pot of something. "Smells like stew!" It came as no surprise to Sakura that the refined nose of a half-oni would know that.

Quelling her rising anxiety yet again, Sakura smiled faintly. Tsunade stormed over and took it away from him. "It is, as a matter of fact. It's our dinner. Shizune left it for us before she went home and I'd thank you to keep your grubby paws away from it."

Jiraiya stroked his chin, nonplussed by Tsunade's tartness. "Tell you what…let me stay for dinner and I'll give you a chance to win back all the money you lost."

Sakura wanted to smack her forehead. It was a horrible proposition in which Tsunade was getting the short end of the stick. And if it weren't for her pride and, possibly alcohol still in her system, Tsunade would see that she was being taken for a ride. Again.

"Deal," the blonde spat, determination in her eyes. Jiraiya set the pot on the stove to heat and rubbed his hands eagerly.

"Good, good. Just what I like to hear."

Sakura felt the opposite. She slowly moved to the cabinet and took out bowls and spoons, knowing Tsunade's mind was made up. For the time being, her curiosity with discovering the box's contents were forgotten.

* * *

"I was so close!" Tsunade seethed later that night as Sakura helped her to bed.

The sake had addled her memory, Sakura decided. Because when she'd walked in to check up on how the game had been going, she'd discovered her worst fears. Tsunade was in the hole. It was only due to Jiraiya's kindness that he replaced all the money she'd lost when she wasn't looking. In the morning when she discovered this, she'd curse a blue streak and rave about how it was an insult to her pride that he took pity on her. ' _An insult to her pride but a compliment to her wallet at least.'_ Sakura mused.

It was funny how often Tsunade forgot that the money she used to gamble also helped support their small household. That made the pink-haired fae all the more grateful that Tsunade'd been having a simple game with a friend and hadn't lost big at a gambling hall, like she'd done in the past.

"There's always next time," The minute the words left her mouth, Sakura regretted them. The very last thing she wanted to do was encourage her…

Tsunade settled back into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin with a smirk curling her lips. "You just wait, Jiraiya. You bet your ass after I get the fortune goddess' blessing, I'll clean house,"

Sakura ignored her mutterings. It wasn't unusual for Tsunade to scheme ways to come up with a win after a big loss, including consulting divine means. The fact that not even the intervention of some local deities had been able to help her luck thus far, was almost laughable.

"I'll see you in the morning," Sakura covered up a dainty yawn with a hand. "You've got some orders on backlog, you know."

Tsunade grumbled and tried to disappear under the covers. "Don't remind me," she snapped. Whatever else Tsunade may or may not have been, she was an incredibly successful alchemist and witch doctor, one in high demand.

Sakura chuckled. "Good night. I left some water on the table in case your mouth gets dry. You _did_ overdue it tonight and all. So try to sleep it off."

Tsunade managed to give her a lazy thumbs up from under her cocoon of blankets.

Sakura exited the room, journeying down the hall and into her own bedroom. The sight of her bed made her instantly feel like collapsing, but she forced herself to change her clothes, at least. A chill went up her spine. As she pulled her shirt over her head and took off her bra, it felt like somewhere out there, she was being watched. Paranoia. It had to be. Her bedroom window faced the woods. And a view of the old, giant spirit tree that she loved so much. Who could possibly be watching? Not to mention the fact that the curtains were currently drawn.

Sakura continued stripping out of her clothes, nervously combing a hand through her pink locks as she glanced once more at the window near her desk. Deciding she'd soothe her own fears, she drew the curtains aside and peeked out into the dark. For a second, she swore she saw the large shape of…something staring back at her from the high branches of her beloved tree. Startled, she place a hand to her bare chest, stumbling away from the window. Hurriedly yanking a shirt over her head, Sakura cautiously checked one more time. Nothing. The woods looked haunting but still.

Satisfied, Sakura quickly put on her sleep shorts and crawled into bed. It had been a long and stressful day. She was overthinking and it was making her mind play tricks. In the morning, she'd throw herself into helping Tsunade and Shizune, and forget all about the stresses of today. With a flick of her wrist, the room grew dark, and she turned into her pillow and closed her eyes.

Outside, a restless shadow prowled at the base of the large spirit tree.

Inside, the box on the counter that was left downstairs emitted a faint glow from within.


	2. Sound of Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura encounters the first of her Summons. But unfortunately they can't help but get off on the wrong foot.

When she heard Tsunade calling up the steps that she had a visitor, Sakura knew immediately who it was. Only one person came all the way out "into the sticks" to visit her with any regularity. Jade eyes peered from over the edge of her book to look at her friend's deceptively innocent smile. When Yamanaka Ino smiled like that, it didn't mean anything good for Sakura. As usual, flowers were woven throughout her long hair, and thin vines worn as bracelets curled up both her wrists.

Sighing, Sakura marked her page and sat up a little. "What's that?" she asked cautiously, eying the bag Ino was holding out to her.

"Oh, you know," Ino grinned. "Just a little present for the birthday girl."

The pinkette's eyes narrowed. "I just had a birthday a week ago and you know it. You already got me something."

Switching tactics, Ino began to pout. "Sakura, why won't you just accept me trying to be nice?"

"Because you have a very Machiavellian streak. So what're you up to?"

Ino huffed, shaking the bag a little. "It's a book. There, happy? You like books."

Tentatively, Sakura reached out and snatched the small bag being proffered to her, still shooting her friend quizzical glances. Pulling the item from it, she saw it was, indeed, a book, but the minute her eyes scanned the title, her expression soured.

"Ino," she hissed.

"Sakura, come on! Stop with the sanctimonious bullshit already and just do the test!"

The pinkette angrily tossed the book back, watching as Ino fumbled with it.

"That's something I don't wanna deal with right now, for the last time. Being a Summoner's sort of a big responsibility."

Ino sat down heavily at the end of the bed, scowling. "I know you're scared but this isn't helping!"

"What's not helping?" Sakura asked coldly.

Ino of all people should understand. She was fae too. Although, Ino had taken the test months ago and found out that she didn't have Summoning magic. The beautiful blonde took it in stride, instead choosing to focus on her true dream. Since childhood, the flower fae had an affinity for plants and their growth. Her family cultivated seeds, most of them carrying their own magical properties. And Ino was choosing to follow in their footsteps.

"I'm just saying, you're still having those headaches and dizzy spells, right?"

"That's unrelated," Sakura muttered defensively.

Ino scoffed, flopping back on the bed. Sakura drew her legs up to make room. "Yeah, alright…so your magic _isn't_ hurting you because you need a Summon to siphon some of it off?" she stated flatly. Sakura pursed her lips. She wished she'd never mentioned it to Ino. It was a miracle that she hadn't gone and run to Tsunade yet.

The drawback of being a Haruno, a small but talented fae family that excelled at a variety of different magics, was that there was a lot of it contained in an otherwise average vessel. The fae of the Haruno weren't built like tanks. There were many other fairy families that were genetically superior. But their versatility in magic made up for it.

Keeping so much raw power inside tended to become difficult without something to balance it off. Everyone was waiting anxiously for Sakura to announce she would indeed become a Summoner like everyone expected her to, and then go out and find herself a strong yokai partner. She refused. The light bouts of illness she was feeling were fine, and well worth the price of her freedom.

"It's manageable. Could you just drop it?"

Ino's blue eyes shined defiantly. "For now." she agreed. "But…keep the book okay? It's not like _I'm_ gonna need it."

Sakura snatched the book up and stared at the title again. " _A Summoner's Field Guide_ ". The how-to book for all things related to Summoning magic. They were considered standard issue and sold all over the place. Sakura had been avoiding even so much as reading _one_ like the plague. Her curiosity could sometimes get the best of her, and she didn't want it to override her willpower. She flipped the book over and skimmed the summary on the back. " _Summoning magic is a rare and wonderful gift to awaken to! This book will cover everything from how to find compatible yokai, incantations, the differences between compassion and compelling, career opportunities for Summoners, and the be—"_

Sakura's eyes lifted from the blurb to find Ino humming as she manipulated a small potted plant sitting on Sakura's desk. From across the room. Suddenly the fern had sprouted tendrils that curled over the side of the pot and around a pencil. Picking it up, the plant held it steady over Sakura's opened notebook. "Go on, finish reading."

Not for the first time, Sakura wished she was more magically inclined for skills like Ino's. Plants she could handle. Plants were alive, but in a much different way than yokai. Ino would argue plants had their own spirits and feelings too, and while the pinkette didn't doubt that, they were still nowhere near the level of responsibility as having a yokai partner.

"I'm good, thanks," she set the thick book down on her nightstand and stood up with a stretch. "I should probably get downstairs and see if they need any help…Are you sticking around for lunch?" Ino lowered her outstretched hand and the fern's tendrils retracted, dropping the pencil.

"Is Shizune making mushroom stew again?"

"Dunno," Sakura answered, shrugging.

"How can you be so nonchalant? Shizune's mushroom stew is amazing!" Ino groaned. "But whatever, I gotta get going anyway. Today is the day my mom wants to see if the new seeds we engineered will actually take once we transplant them…and that's sort of a two person job."

It took a minute to realize her friend was up and heading for the door. "Alright," Sakura muttered distractedly. "Your dad's still helping the government with his telepathy?"

"Yep," Ino sighed. "And you know what's worse? Mom says if I turn out just as strong in hypnosis and telepathy as Dad then in a couple of years they could be eying me. _Me_!" The blonde flailed her arms a little. "Sakura, those beige monstrosities they call uniforms are _so_ unflattering." There was a horrified tremble to her voice as she shivered.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Wow…I wish I had your problems."

Ino sniffed. "Mock all you want, but just remember what I said." she said sternly, jabbing a finger in Sakura's direction. A softer look immediately creased her face. "See you around,"

The door shut behind her, and she could hear Ino's footsteps down the hall as she saw herself out.

The room seemed to rue her absence by filling with an uncomfortable silence. Sakura glanced quickly at the book yet again. "Stupid," she grumbled. "Completely stupid…"

* * *

Sakura came down the steps to find Tsunade and Shizune hard at work while TonTon observed from a stack of books.

"Need some help?"

Tsunade, who was faced away from her and hunched over a cauldron of bubbling liquid, started.

The blonde glanced behind her and cursed under her breath. "Do you need to start wearing a bell?" she snapped.

"Uh, sorry?"

"Don't mind her please," Shizune smiled reassuringly. "She's just angry that I'm _actually_ making her catch up on these orders." The dark-haired woman handed Tsunade an empty glass vial and Sakura watched as the older woman carefully sucked some of whatever she'd been brewing into a dropper and then dripped it into the phial before sealing it shut with a cork. The dark blue liquid was passed back to Shizune, who quickly placed a label on it.

"How many does that make?" Tsunade asked.

"Eighty-seven." Shizune hummed, looking over the crate of vials with identical liquid. "Only three more to go." Sakura watched Shizune pick up a clipboard and check something off before scribbling something else. Probably doing inventory before final shipment into the city.

"Finally," Tsunade crowed. "I can celebrate with a drink. You and you," she pointed to a sake cup and flask that had been milling around, "Go and pour some of the good stuff, would you?" The little tsukumogami started floating off to do their mistress' bidding.

Sakura had often marveled at the inanimate objects. Although they'd been around since before she moved in with Tsunade, it never got old to see ordinary household things with their own awareness. What was even more interesting was that they were considered to be a type of yokai.

"Not so fast." Shizune held up a hand and the creatures halted. "This is only the first batch, you've still got another eight to go, or have you forgotten?"

Sakura flinched as Tsunade dropped the ladle she'd been holding with a frustrated cry.

"Sorry milady, but this is what happens when you put off work for too long." Shizune calmly walked over to the box in which they kept the crystals Tsunade used in a great deal of her spell-work. Upon opening and inspecting the box, she frowned.

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

Shizune shook her head, sighing. "We're low on crystals."

Tsunade's eyes lifted from her cauldron's contents. "Already? How's that even possible?"

"Well, I don't think anybody's been collecting them for a few weeks, so—" Sakura looked pointedly at her godmother.

"I don't need the cheek, I need more crystals, Sakura!" Tsunade began pacing. "I mean, the sooner I get this done the sooner I can, you know," she waved a hand vaguely. "Get back to the more important part of life."

"Drinking?" Sakura guessed.

"Gambling?" Shizune asked flatly.

They were both rewarded with a withering glare. "Brewing my beauty tonics and youth elixirs, you fools!" she patted at her own face for emphasis. "After all these centuries do you really think this maintains itself?"

Sakura coughed into her hand to keep from laughing. Tsunade certainly liked to pretend that it did. She'd almost forgotten that her mentor used the grinded crystals in her special youth elixir, among other things. "I guess that means it's up to me, huh?"

Shizune gave her a pleased grin. "You're always so helpful Sakura. You can take TonTon of course," The pig quickly hopped down from the stack of tomes and ran to Sakura's side. "And you know where to find the mining tools."

"Remember the colors," Tsunade said as she filled and stoppered another phial. "Green crystals. Purple crystals. Blue crystals and pink crystals."

Sakura put on her cloak and went to the closet for the straw basket she always put the crystals in. "Right. Have you seen the pickaxe and the magnifying glass?"

Shizune tapped a finger to her chin in thought. "The magnifying glass should be in the study, but…the pickaxe is probably sulking somewhere since we haven't had a job for it in a while. You know how fickle they can be,"

Sakura didn't exactly feel like hunting the yokai down, but she definitely would need the pickaxe to collect the crystals.

"Thanks…" she glanced at TonTon and the little pig hopped around, curly tail wiggling. "We'll be back soon."

* * *

The pickaxe swung itself at some low-hanging ivy and Sakura nodded in thanks. "Almost there," she told her companions. TonTon trotted along at her side, occasionally straying away to sniff at mushrooms.

The magnifying glass floated behind her, and every time she turned to make sure it was still there, she found it examining the ground carefully. The pickaxe was in front, doing its best to clear a path. It had indeed been sulking when she found it, but the minute she told the yokai she was going out to collect crystals it perked up immediately.

The walk into the deepest area of the woods was a trip she knew by heart, one that gave her time to be one with the magic there, and reflect.

All the stress from coming into her heritage had been overwhelming, and there were only a few people who knew the extent of the problem. Ino was right in a way. Sooner or later she'd need a Summon. Those who practiced Summoner magic were meant to have Summons by their sides; it was the way they were made biologically. Channeling some of their magic into the link with their partner allowed a Summoner to keep their magic regulated.

And just as with Summoners, there was a certain number of individuals born to the yokai and shapeshifter population that needed the help of Summoners to fully temper and control their powers. Ideally, it was a completely symbiotic relationship.

One in which Summoner and Summon shared a mutual respect, and maybe even a friendship. Of course, there was a flipside to every coin…such as those people who didn't have Summoning magic, but used dark spells to Compel yokai against their will. Only recently, news of a ring of Compellers who had been caught using yokai to commit crimes had surfaced.

The world was a mess, but most people only thought of one part of the equation. The part that equaled the excitement, privilege and glory of being a Summoner. No one thought of the hefty responsibility a magic that involved joining with a living creature carried, responsible for both themselves and their Summon for the rest of their natural lives together. But it could wait. She still had time.

The shine of the large mass of crystal through the trees had her smiling in relief. There in front of her was a towering crystal that stretched almost as high as some of the trees. Glimmering beautifully in the afternoon sun, the crystal shone in array of different colors. Sakura knew from experience that each color held different properties.

A deposit of crystal this large would normally be heavily regulated by the government. Luckily, Tsunade had friends in high places. Friends who kept the fact that she was mining unregulated crystals under the radar as long as she used her "research" to keep making her elixirs and tonics. As long as she kept selling the government a percentage of her work, they looked the other way and the reclusive witch could be left in peace.

"Are you ready?" she asked the pickaxe.

It swung around mightily, showing it was up to the challenge.

"She only wants _some_ of the colors today." the fae explained. "The pink ones, the green ones, the blue ones, and the—"

The wind stirred, rustling her cloak and flipping her hood up and over her eyes. TonTon froze suddenly, whimpering. Sakura wrestled the fabric out of her face and glanced around. Her magic was spiking the way it did when it was preparing to reflexively respond to a threat. The feeling of being watched—no, hunted—came back. Sakura grabbed the pickaxe from the air and held it defensively, glancing around for any signs of danger. TonTon backed into her, trembling. The pig could clearly smell something she couldn't. Something that had her terrified.

The forest was so still it was unnatural. The air, on the other hand, was charged with so much power it almost crackled. A bead of sweat slowly trickled down the back of her neck. "TonTon…" Sakura whispered. "Get out of here while you can. Get back to the house and—"

The pig wailed as something large leapt over both their heads and Sakura jumped away just in time. A paw swiped at her, managing to come away with a few strands of hair. Her heart thundered in her chest at how close it had come.

Prowling in front of her was what Sakura could only describe as an agitated black jaguar. ' _Is that…a shifter?_ ' It had to be. The forest was home to many creatures, some of them scarier than others, but jaguars had never been one of them.

"What're you doing?!" Sakura demanded. It almost seemed like it'd been lying in wait. And if a shifter was going to attempt to maim her, she felt she at least had a right to know why. Her breath hitched when the beast looked directly into her wide eyes.

Deep black pools stared back intently, and there was no missing the very speculative perusal it gave her. Sizing her up. The big cat charged again, and Sakura grit her teeth, swinging the pickaxe and catching it across the face.

The jaguar hissed, backing away but still watching her for an opening. "Seriously, what the hell is your problem?" From the corner of her eye, she noticed TonTon and the magnifying glass were gone, hopefully well on their way home. The pig was loyal, and she'd find a way to bring help.

Pawing the ground, the beast growled, almost like it was muttering to itself. Sakura began edging away, still holding the pickaxe tightly in case she was attacked again. It roared, jumping into the air again and landing behind her. Sakura whirled around and cursed loudly when she realized it was blocking her only escape.

Gulping, she prepared to face down the shifter once more with the pickaxe. Strangely, he wasn't really moving. Instead he was sitting on his haunches and waiting…patiently. Bewilderment flooded her mind. _'Focus, Sakura!'_ Getting to safety was still her main priority.

The glow of the crystal mass in front of her caught her eye, and she thought about how yellow crystals caused temporary paralysis when touched for too long. Was it worth it? One look at the imposing shifter still waiting made her legs move on their own accord.

Sakura ran without warning and she heard the beast get back on its feet and come after her. Launching herself at the jagged structure, she began climbing it, using the pickaxe to pull herself up. The crystal was fifteen feet high, and with the help of the enchanted tool, she was making good ground. The jaguar wasn't far behind, standing on its back legs and swiping at her.

Its claws snagged in her cloak the minute her fingers touched the gem and Sakura screamed as she went tumbling back down, hitting her head as she fell. The wind was knocked out of her and when she looked up, her vision swimming, the face of the large cat was hovering directly over hers. She laid there with her head pounding and her magic thrumming, defenseless as the big cat kept her pinned to the ground. His damp black nose brushed against her collarbone as he smelled her.

Sakura tried to keep perfectly still. One false move and his fangs would bury themselves in her jugular. Her thoughts briefly drifted to Shizune and Tsunade. She hoped they wouldn't feel guilty when they saw her body lying there lifelessly. And her parents… Maybe, she should have made amends when she had the chance. And Ino, her best friend. Ino would be devastated if—the shifter pressed his snout firmly against her forehead, directly over the seal where a great deal of her extra magic was stored. Only a week ago she'd gotten the Byakugo and now she'd die without ever unlocking it.

' _It doesn't have to end this way…'_ a tiny voice in her head insisted. ' _Unlock the Byakugo,_ ' Unlock…the Byakugo. Sakura vaguely realized that what she had first taken as her head throbbing from the fall, was actually all focused behind the seal. Her magic was trying to claw its way out, reacting wildly. ' _Unlock the Byakugo,'_ Sakura mentally repeated. Her eyes drifted shut, and she concentrated on a conversation she'd once had with Tsunade.

 _Sakura gently placed her small finger to Tsunade's seal._ " _Will I get one?"_

" _Depends, really." Tsunade shrugged, taking a long pull of alcohol straight from the bottle. Sakura grinned as she sat on her godmother's knee. She idolized the woman. Her confidence, her skills, her beauty. Everything Sakura longed for Tsunade embodied._

_From her own seat, her mother Mebuki made a face of disdain. "You know she looks up to you. Why would you set such a bad example?"_

" _You complain, but you keep bringing her to visit."_

_Mebuki looked at her lap. "Well I'm not a monster. She adores you after all."_

_Tsunade patted Sakura's head. "Listen Sakura, even if you get your own Byakugo seal one day, it probably won't be exactly like mine."_

_Sakura frowned. "It…it won't?"_

" _No." Tsunade smiled gently. "It'll be better."_

_The pinkette laughed as Tsunade tickled her. "I'll be able to heal the way you do?"_

" _That and then some," the older woman looked down at her fondly. "Healing is a pretty important use for magic, but do you want to know a secret?" Sakura eagerly nodded, leaning in as Tsunade stared her in the eyes, taking her by the shoulders. "The Byakugo…exists to make miracles happen."_

* * *

He was impressed when her eyes opened, a blinding white replacing the expressive green. The seal on her forehead had expanded across her face, crisscrossing and disappearing into her clothes. He'd found a good one. A strong one. She had been scared when he attacked, but she still attempted to fight him off. She'd be a decent master.

Her magic pushed forcefully at him and he was thrown off. She sat up and he swiftly got back on his feet. Their eyes met again, but this time, her eyes peered into him. Through him. He felt an involuntary quiver at the sheer amount of magic she was radiating. It was now or never. He reached out with his own magic, cautiously trying to establish a connection. Her magic tried to press his into submission and he allowed it without a fight.

"Why'd you attack me?" she asked.

He didn't know any other way to test her strength and see if she was the one he'd been tracking down for the better part of two weeks.

They didn't have an established link as Summoner and Summon yet, so she couldn't exactly hear his thoughts, but she knew he didn't mean any harm.

That didn't seem to appease her. If anything, she seemed more irritated. "Trying to claw my face off is still a shitty way to say hi."

Sighing, he decided the best way was to proceed exactly as he'd planned to. He had now confirmed that this pink-haired fae was the one whose magic he'd been pulled to. She didn't smell like she owned any yokai, which meant she was a Summoner in need of a Summon. "You could at least show your face," she growled. "I mean your human face." She had a little bit of a temper, but he'd dealt with worse.

Lunging, he didn't give her time to react. Her magic anticipated his move and tried to force him back to the ground, but he fought hard. He thought of the fierceness and desperation in her eyes when she thought he was trying to kill her. He wanted a master who would choose to fight, even when she was sure she wouldn't win. In spite of herself, her obvious reluctance and wariness, her magic recognized what he was trying to do, and it relaxed.

He knicked her wrist with his claws as carefully as possible and felt the Limiter appear on his right ear with satisfaction. Forcing a contract was never the best way to introduce oneself to the person you planned to serve for the rest of your life. But he had been severely weakened since his escape, and that, along with the soothing pull of her magic, had made him desperate.

She gasped, looking down at her wrist at the claw marks and then looking at him as he shifted form. It had been a while since he'd dared to switch into his human form. Instantly, he could feel her magic flowing through him, recovering some of his lost strength.

"What the hell did you _do_?" Her eyes were once again a vivid green.

And her seal was starting to recede after he'd began siphoning magic, but the anger in her eyes and on her face sent a jolt through him. He kneeled courteously. "My name is five-thousand and eighty-six. As you can see," he pointed to the Limiter in his ear. "I'm now your Summon. I understand that this may be overwhelming, but—" The last thing he saw was the fist flying at his face.

* * *

Sakura stood over the unconscious shifter, panting in rage. She was having a hard time controlling herself and stopping at just one punch. He had forced himself on her, and now she was stuck with a _Summon_! The last thing she wanted. She nudged him with her foot none too gently. "When you wake up, there's gonna be hell to pay!"

He didn't stir. Sakura felt her legs shaking, and suddenly she was on her knees in the grass beside him. The stress, shock and temporary strain on her magic as it adjusted to accommodating a Summon, had finally caught up with her.

"Sakura!" Her eyes remained glued to the pale unconscious face of the _Summon_ she was stuck with. Even as Tsunade and Shizune came running into the clearing led by TonTon, she stayed where she was, her heart sinking as realization set in.

"We…we came as fast as we could!" Shizune hunched over, hands on her knees as she attempted to catch your breath. "TonTon was frantic! Are you hurt?"

"No…" Tears began to well in the corners of her eyes and she desperately pushed them down.

"Wait, who the hell is this?" Tsunade blinked. "He's got magic like a shifter."

Sakura laughed emptily. "He's my new _Summon_."

There was a pregnant pause. Tsunade and Shizune shared incredulous looks over her head. Sakura couldn't say she blamed them. She'd left the house not even an hour ago, and there was no question about the way she'd felt then.

She wasn't ready for a Summon so she wasn't getting one. Fast-forward forty-five minutes later and here she was, kneeling over the unconscious body of a shifter she didn't even know, who had decided to mark her and force a blood contract. And clearly they were compatible and it had worked, or a Limiter wouldn't have appeared. _'Just like that…I'm a Summoner. I can't deny it anymore.'_

She could faintly hear Tsunade remarking to Shizune that when they got back, everyone would need their fair share of sake while they sussed out the situation.

For once, Shizune agreed.

* * *

His eyes fluttered open, and he peered around, disoriented. The last thing he remembered was his new master knocking him senseless in anger. His old master had never put a hand on him personally, but with his incredibly effective _training_ methods, he hadn't needed to.

"Sweet dreams?" He glanced to his side and noticed an older blonde woman glaring at him. A dark-haired woman was watching him warily, holding a small pig in her arms. And his new master…was staring at him blankly, holding the wrist he'd scratched. "You've got some fucking nerve, attacking people and forcing blood contracts." The oldest woman in the room hissed. "I ought to turn you over this instant and have the contract annulled. Sakura never agreed, so it would be easy enough."

He cleared his throat, trying for diplomacy. "Allow me to explain first,"

"Like hell! You—"

"No…" his master drew in a deep breath, "I want to hear what made him do something this selfish."

"I was dying," he said simply.

"Explain." The blonde demanded.

Drawing himself as straight as possible…he realized he'd been bound to a chair…with enchanted rope. Ignoring it for the moment, he worked on pleading his case. "I…I was part of a group of shifters and yokai that had been in the possession of Compellers. I escaped a few weeks ago but it wasn't too long until I discovered my magic was reliant on having a link, even a forced one. I decided to find a new master. One that had strong Summoning magic this time."

"So you preyed on a vulnerable girl that's only just come into her Summoning magic?" the dark-haired woman holding the pig asked disapprovingly.

"I didn't mean any harm. I noticed she didn't smell like any yokai. I thought—"

"You _didn't_ think," the blonde snapped, slamming a glass down so hard it shattered before it even hit the ground. He eyed her warily. Her raw strength was a force to be reckoned with. She was…he sniffed the air discreetly. A witch maybe? A natural-born one? Very powerful regardless. He'd have to be sure to watch himself.

"This is an incredibly complicated situation." The dark haired woman rubbed her forehead. "He's got a Limiter in his ear. His magic recognizes Sakura's, and vice versa."

"Shizune, are you actually suggesting she should stay partnered with this punk?!"

"Of course not!" Shizune's frown made her brows draw together. "I'm just saying…that the laws of magic recognize and approve of this, and that means that even annulling it might have consequences."

"Great, so I might really be," his master swallowed. "Stuck…" She looked absolutely miserable. He hadn't been her Summon for even a day and he made her miserable. A failure.

He was somewhat surprised when she chose to meet his eyes, glancing him over skeptically. "…Hey, what's your name? I might as well know it since you know mine."

"Five-thousand-eighty-six."

"Quit messing around kid," The blonde had produced a cup of sake from seemingly thin air and downed it before pouring herself another finger of the clear liquid. "That's not a real name. You've gotten my goddaughter into your mess, you should at least try not to piss me off too much more."

"But…that is what I've always been called."

The woman named Shizune seemed to piece together his words first. "Are you trying to tell us that's the only name you have?"

"Does it displease you?" he looked at Sakura as he asked. She stared at him and for a minute, he caught a glimpse of genuine pity. Pity was better than contempt.

She looked like she was trying to form words but didn't know how. "How long?" she finally asked.

"…How…long?" he repeated.

"How long were you with the Compellers, kid?" Tsunade asked shortly.

That was something he had wondered on occasion. "For as long as I can remember," he answered honestly. Anything before them was one long blank.

"Then you don't know anything about a family or where you're originally from?" Shizune ventured.

He nodded.

Tsunade ran a hand down her face exasperatedly. "Nothing's ever fucking simple..." he heard her mutter under her breath.

"At the very least, you need a name." Shizune explained. "Calling you by a number is just unacceptable."

"Naming them makes them sort of hard to get rid of, Shizune. We're not _keeping_ him, since Sakura still hasn't agreed."

"Master, what name would you like me to go by?" A small part of him was anxious for her to talk to him, to look at him. She was his master now and they were bound. It was instinctual to crave some level of intimacy once a link had been established.

Although, this was a new feeling to him. Before, under the control of a Compeller, he had no emotional connection to his master. In fact, emotions were shunted out of the equation. He existed to serve, and that was all.

"I'm not your master, I'm Sakura." she sighed. "And I dunno, call yourself whatever you want."

"I've got a couple of things I can think of to call him," Tsunade volunteered.

Shizune elbowed her.

He was confused. She was trying to helpfully supply him with names to choose from, wasn't she? Perhaps Shizune just didn't want her helping the enemy. It was understandable.

He glanced around, trying to draw inspiration from his surroundings. He never once thought he'd get the privilege of an actual name. "I still don't know..." he admitted after a beat.

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Well, this is going nowhere. I don't know about the two of you. But I think lunch and a drink binge is in order."

"Lunch is doable, but I think I've indulged you enough. We need level heads to solve this situation," Shizune chastised, moving toward what he could only assume was the kitchen.

Tsunade and Sakura began trailing behind her without sparing him a second glance. His stomach picked then to growl clearly. Sakura half-turned, staring questioningly at him. She slowly walked back. "I don't know if I feel comfortable untying you...but if you're hungry, I can bring you something,"

"Anything is fine, master."

"Stop calling me that. It's Sakura." She eyed him, mistrust clearly in her verdant gaze. "...I read that Summons who are Compelled have brands seared into their bodies somewhere...is that...is that true?"

If he didn't know better, he'd say she looked almost a little worried. However, considering how much she currently despised him, it was unlikely. Nevertheless, he stuck out his tongue to show her the brand there.

She bit back a gasp, placing a hand over her gaping mouth. "On your _tongue_?"

"A loose tongue is a dangerous thing in the magical underworld, so my Compeller insured that none of us could ever breathe a word about his secrets to anyone."

Sakura looked taken aback. "I...I see," she stared at him a minute longer, and then turned on her heel and marched into the kitchen.


	3. Catch-22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura gets to know her new Summon (reluctantly).  
> On the other side of the world, all is not well in the Wind Kingdom's capital city, Suna.

Sakura eyed the young man skeptically as he stared down at the plate of sandwiches and bowl of soup she had brought. "Don't tell me you're going to be picky."

His dark eyes peered up at her through his bangs. They were a nice almond shape. His equally dark hair was relatively short, just at the nape of his neck. The clothes he was wearing were simple, a long-sleeved black shirt and slacks. His feet were bare and dirty. It was hard to pin an age on shifters sometimes, but he looked approximately her age. A teenager by shifter standards. It made her wonder what age he was when the Compellers rounded him up. "No, this is fine. I don't need much, but…"

Sakura placed her hands on her hips, brow raised. He stared down, and she realized he was still tied. Oh. Sakura eyed the rope critically for a few long minutes. She has an inkling that Shizune and Tsunade were watching her intently from the kitchen as she interacted with Mr. Mysterious.

"Are you…" Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose, her eyes shutting and then opening again. "If I untie you, can I trust you to behave? No attacking, no shifting, no funny business?"

He blinked up at her almost innocently. "You're my master now. You can always just Compel me to obey."

Sakura blanched. "What? I'm not going to force my will on you!" The fact that he seemed to think stripping a Summon of free will was a natural course of action made her cringe. Raising a hesitant hand to the ropes, Sakura looked at him closely. He stared back calmly. Sighing, she swiped her finger across the rope wound around his torso and they disintegrated instantly under her magic.

Sakura watched the shifter shrug out of the frayed rope with ease, rolling his shoulders. Their eyes met again and she scooted the food towards him. "Here. Eat. We have a lot to talk about when you're done…"

He seemed almost unsure when he studied the food, but he picked up one of the sandwiches and bit into it nonetheless. She watched as something seemed to come over him, and he began wolfing down the sandwiches in earnest. "Um…" When they were gone he lifted the bowl of soup to his lips and drank it down in quick succession. Sakura had never seen someone so ravenous.

"That was…satisfying." he admitted.

"You weren't hungry at all, were you?" she asked drily. Sakura pulled up a chair for herself and sat down heavily. The openness of the front parlor seemed like the perfect place to interrogate someone when they'd tied him there. All someone in the kitchen had to do was crane their neck enough and they could see everything. Sakura liked that Shizune and Tsunade weren't far, should they need to intervene. One shifter was powerful, but he'd be no match for the three of them.

But looking at him in the eyes, Sakura felt that no matter where they had the conversation, it would still be just as challenging.

"Let's start off simple…what kind of yokai are you?" An innocent enough question. For the meantime, until the situation could be rectified, Sakura wanted to know what she was dealing with. Each yokai race had their own unique customs and mannerisms.

"I'm not a yokai. I'm a were-jaguar." Sakura stared blankly. He was a jaguar, yes. But not a yokai?

Noticing her expression, he continued, "Yokai aren't the only ones that Summoners can form contracts with. I am a shifter."

Ah…of course. It was less common than a yokai, but it wasn't unheard of for shifters to become Summons. And while some yokai could shapeshift, not all shapeshifters were yokai. Apparently the wayward escapee fell into the latter category.

"Alright…a were-jaguar…" Sakura muttered to herself, twirling a piece of hair. "I don't know as much about them."

"There isn't much particularly interesting to tell. As with most shifters, I possess enhanced strength, sight, speed and hearing. My jaguar form makes me capable of climbing to great heights, and—"

Sakura suddenly gasped as a new revelation dawned on her. "Aren't you supposed to get some kind of unique ability after forming a contract with a Summoner?"

The odd shifter nodded slowly. "Yes. I suppose so."

"Show it to me," Sakura demanded.

"I'm afraid it isn't that simple. I can only use my special strength when there is mutual trust between the two of us. The…power boost that results is the ultimate sign of this trust."

Sakura mulled it over. "I guess that makes sense…and I definitely still don't trust you. You don't even have a name. That's just weird."

The shifter studied the empty bowl in his hands almost ruefully. Sakura wondered if he was still hungry. "A true name was never necessary in my previous line of work."

Right. Compellers weren't exactly the sentimental type, keeping supernatural beings in captivity and forcing them to do all kinds of nefarious deeds. Sakura's mind buzzed with more questions about his time with them, but she kept them in check. Instead, she edged away from the subject. "You know, you really got us both into a huge mess."

His dark eyes stared up at her passively. That was also starting to irritate her. This guy seemed to have all the emotional range of a damp sponge. Running a hand down her face, Sakura stomped off, back to the kitchen where she knew Tsunade and Shizune would be waiting. Before crossing the threshold she whirled around and glared at the young man who hadn't left his spot. "I'll be right back…don't move." she commanded, pointing a finger in his direction.

Then she shut the kitchen door behind her. As expected, the two older women met her with faces full of concern. "How're you holding up?" Shizune asked, placing a hand on Sakura's shoulder as she walked to the kitchen table.

The fae blew some strands of hair from her eyes. "I…I just don't get it. Why me? And if there was truly no way around it, why'd I have to get stuck with him? He's clearly got some serious damage after being with the Compellers…"

"Speaking of which," Tsunade cleared her throat. "We really ought to report that. If everything checks out and he truly is a victim, the government will know what to do with him. We can get this contract between you annulled, and they can ask him questions about his handlers. I hear there are some still at large."

"Well," Sakura worried the inside of her cheek. "I'm not sure if that'll even work…he's got a…" she pointed at her own tongue. "A mark or a curse or something that he says makes it so he can't tell any of their secrets."

Tsunade crossed her arms under her large bosom and huffed impatiently, staring toward the door to the parlor. "Hmph…" the blonde drummed her fingers against her own arm as she thought. "That in itself is a pain…I'm not exactly versed in dark magic, but it seems like forming a contract with you would've burned that off."

Sakura frowned. Why did her very first Summon have to come with so many complications? It was bad enough to have one to begin with, but to be stuck with…with...

"Don't dwell on it too much, Sakura," Shizune advised. "We'll get this straightened out. In the meantime, you'll have to be close, unfortunately. Trying to kick him out is going to hurt you since the two of you are tethered now."

Tsunade scowled. "I don't like it…but it doesn't look like we have much choice. We'll put him up in your old room for tonight at least."

Shizune hummed in agreement. "And I'll do some digging for myself when I go home. Genma and Raido are providing security detail to a dignitary with clearance to the Regulatory Council's library right now. Hopefully something in there will have answers."

Sakura smiled, even as her eyes stung with tears. "T-Thank you," she moved in to hug them both. "I'm glad you're both so understanding. I wouldn't be able to do this alone."

"That's what family's for, Sakura," Tsunade smirked. "Now go and get that little shit before he—"

_CRASH!_

The three raced to the door and burst into the parlor to see the shifter had made his way over to the wall where Tsunade collected old weapons. There was a sai in his hands and a spiked mace on the floor.

"Oi, what the hell do you think you're doing? Who told you to touch that?" Tsunade ran over and pulled the weapon from his hands, waving it at him threateningly.

"I was just admiring the craftsmanship." The shifter stated calmly, nonplussed by the sharp point swinging in his face. "I've never seen such a tool. What's it called?"

"A sai…" Shizune stated, looking him over strangely. Sakura noticed that there was a quiet sense of wonder on his face as he looked at the weapon Tsunade had taken away.

"Sai…" the shifter repeated.

"That almost sounds like a name, now that I think about it," Shizune blinked.

"Sai?" Sakura laughed a little. "What kind of name would that b—"

"I like it." The shifter said quietly. He moved forward and carefully took the weapon back from Tsunade. Sakura wasn't sure if he meant the name itself or the weapon associated with it.

"Then…that's what we'll call you for now." Sakura told him. He looked up at her.

His eyes widened minutely. "You weren't joking about that? I get a name?"

Although she wasn't exactly happy with him, Sakura couldn't help but feel equal parts pity for this odd shapeshifter, and anger toward his former master. "Everyone deserves a name," she stated firmly. "So if you're okay with it, Sai can be yours."

The were-jaguar nodded almost meekly. "Yes, I would like that."

Tsunade stared between the two teenagers suspiciously. The last thing Sakura needed was to let her big heart get the best of her. She jerked the sai out of…Sai's hands. "I've still got my eye on you. One wrong move and we're hauling you off to let the Regulatory Council deal with you."

"A Summon is meant to be their Summoner's sword and shield, and to walk with them side by side, until death." Sai recited. "I assure you that is a responsibility I take seriously. I will do whatever I need to in order to remain by my master's side."

The three females shared looks of surprise. "You're really serious about that?" Shizune asked. "Do you know what that means? Your life is in Sakura's hands…forever. And in a lot of ways, hers is in yours."

"I understand. I bound myself to her knowing that this was all but permanent."

"Well, fuck…" Tsunade grunted. "This just got morbid." She easily lifted and replaced the mace on its mount on the wall. Then the sai. "Sakura, you still up for helping out?"

The pinkette quickly nodded. "Yes!" Anything to get her mind off how complicated her life had just become.

"We still need more crystals." Tsunade placed her hand on her hip. "Since you never got to finish collecting any…" She gave Sai a pointed look.

"More crystals. Right." Then she slapped herself on the forehead. "Crap! I left my basket back in the woods! And the pickaxe…"

"Both still there. I'm sure." Tsunade waved a hand. "Sooner you get going, the sooner you can be back. You've got a lot of reading up to do."

Sakura glanced at Sai. "Guess you're right."

* * *

Wind Kingdom—Capitol City: Suna

Murmurs went up from all sides of the council's chamber as the accused was dragged in, heavily bound by magic-suppressant chains, head bowed.

Everything from "How could this be?" to "It was only a matter of time!" dogged his steps.

The guards towed their prisoner forward, his face covered by the hooded cloak he was draped in. A formality to protect the privacy of the accused while being transported, as was tradition. Though there wasn't a person in attendance who didn't already know who the criminal was.

The guards ushered their charge into a small booth, sat before a very tall and imposing L-shaped bench. Ten figures with their faces shrouded in shadows peered down at the assembled spectators and the accused prisoner. A gavel strike rang out, silencing the cacophony of muttering. "We hereby call this trial to session. Please, bring forth the charges."

A small page boy ran forward and presented a scroll to the guard near the bench of judges. It was slowly passed up and unfolded. "Prince Gaara, you stand before us all accused of a most heinous crime...the murder of your father, King Rasa."

Gasps went up and the chattering resumed.

"Silence!"

The large chamber grew quiet yet again.

The guards pulled the hood back to reveal the shock of blood red hair and hooded turquoise eyes of the kingdom's youngest prince.

"How do you plead, young lord? A witnesses places you there, during the hours of the attack. Do you deny this?"

"Of course he does!" an aggravated shout rang out.

"What is the meaning of this?"

A man shouldered his way through the front of the spectators, hopping over the divider that kept them off the shiny marble floors of the courtroom.

"This isn't a fair trial at all! Gaara was obviously framed!"

"Ah, and please state your name to the court."

The man, brown-haired and sporting purple war paint on his face, responded with a sneer. "Prince Kankuro, duh!"

"And Princess Temari," A blonde woman, her hair sectioned off into two sets of pigtails, glided through the spectators and also hopped the partition to stand at Gaara's side.

The redhead glanced at his siblings, frustrated. "Both of you...what're you doing?"

"We're not gonna let them get away with this." Kankuro whispered back. "You're our little brother. Did you really expect us not to protect you?"

"This was destined to happen at some point. You both should leave now, or you'll be the next to get punished."

"Shut up," Temari laughed. "You're not the boss of me."

"If you three are quite done, the witness will now give his statement."

The siblings turned their heads to see who the court would call forward. When a blond man stepped forward, his eyes full of sadness, Kankuro's mouth fell open and Temari snarled. "Uncle, what is the meaning of this?"

He bowed his head as a tear slowly trickled from one eye. "Please forgive me...I promised Karura on her deathbed that I would protect you three, but...my duty is to the kingdom first. Always." Any trace of empathy or sadness was gone in an instant, replaced only by a steely look of resolve.

"But Uncle Yashamaru, you're making a mistake!" Kankuro snapped. "It could've have been Gaara, because he was with us that night. Right Temari?"

The blonde nodded. "All of us were off sparring in the desert."

"We have already searched through Lord Yashamaru's mind. We have pulled memories of what is clearly your brother, Prince Gaara, attacking and killing the king."

"That doesn't mean it was really him!" Kankuro protested. "In case you forgot, we're a family of yokai. Any tanuki with even basic control can shapeshift into the form of another person easily!" To demonstrate, Kankuro changed shape, and another Yashamaru was glaring up at the veiled judges in defiance. He changed yet again and a second Gaara stood beside the first. "See? Simple."

"And you should be the first one to tell them that, uncle." Temari spat. "You've been taking care of Gaara since he was a newborn! You know him better than that."

"Yes, my niece, I have...and that's why, I believe it was him I saw."

"You son of a..." Temari firmly grasped Kankuro's shoulder to stop him from insulting their uncle.

"What do you mean?" Temari's deep teal eyes studied the man coldly.

Yashamaru sighed before he began addressing the court. "I'm also the family's physician of course. I make sure the royal children are in perfect health. Years ago, when Gaara first truly showed signs of being exceptionally strong with his sand manipulation, his father and I had a discussion. We knew with him continuing to grow as he has been, he'd eventually need a Summoner. I love my nephew dearly, just as my sister wanted, but I've watched a dark side emerge from him lately. He's become unstable and his black-outs are lasting longer and longer. He can be erratic and withdrawn, and even hostile. It hasn't caused serious injury...up until this point. But the longer he's without a Summoner, well, I'm afraid the worst has already come to pass. I should have done something sooner. I failed King Rasa."

The spectators descended into speculative murmuring once again. Even the judges seemed to be talking amongst themselves quietly. Temari and Kankuro shared a tense glance. There was...some truth to Yashamaru's words.

Gaara had become more erratic the older he got without a Summoner to keep him in check. Their father had been looked for matches for quite some time, even as going as far as commissioning strong Summoners to come to Suna and see if they were compatible, but no one had been able or willing to take on the strength of forming a contract with a tanuki. They either weren't equipped or wanted a more low maintenance summon like an inugami.

Still, Gaara was gentle at his core. He'd been a shy child with trouble making friends. Their brother purposely hurting, let alone killing anyone was unfathomable. Yashamaru was being misled, somehow...

"Very well, I think we've heard enough..."

"What? This is insane. Aren't you even going to check our memories?" Temari challenged, smacking her palms against the wooden stand Gaara was in.

"To do so seems pointless. We have already reached a unified decision."

"For his crimes against the kingdom, Prince Gaara will be put to death come tomorrow evening at sunset."

The court erupted into chaos as Kankuro exploded. "No! You're making a mistake, you bastards!"

"Kankuro!" Temari tried to get a hold of her brother, even as she struggled with her own emotions.

Gaara's chains were jerked harshly as he was dragged off, back to the dungeons.

The spectators were stunned at the turn of events and watched as the judges tried to regain order of the courtroom, pointlessly.

A pair of pleased golden eyes watched the scene, before slipping into the crowd.

* * *

"Do you really have to stand so close?" Sakura grunted, chipping away a small piece of crystal and depositing it into her basket.

Sai canted his head. "I'm guarding you. Of course I do."

"Ironically, I felt safer before you came into my life..."

Sai glanced at the pickaxe she held, and rubbed his face absently. Only his accelerated shifter healing had allowed him to get away with no more than a dull throbbing from the blow. Her actual fist striking him was another story. He would remember that punch and the pain that had come from it, for as long as he lived. A reminder that his new master was formidable in her own right.

Sai settled himself on the grass patiently, since his standing behind her seemed to cause discomfort. Sakura was examining and mining crystals. She expected each one she chipped off under the lens of a magnifying glass, and put all the ones she deemed satisfactory into her basket.

"Are they not all the same?" he found himself asking.

"No," she replied shortly. "They're not...the longer they spend absorbing the earth's energies, the more potent the properties." She paused, her button nose crinkling. "Urgh, why am I even bothering to explain this to you?"

That seemed more like something she was asking herself than him, so Sai remained quiet. 'Sai...' he pondered over the fact that he had been given a name. For as far back as he could recall, he had been 5,086. Number 5,086. That was all he had ever been allowed to be. Already, she was so different from his previous master. Her mannerisms, her coloring, her...natural pull.

Sakura stood abruptly, brushing off the front of her shorts. "Alright, let's get back...Tsunade will be having a fit right about now."

Sai squinted at her basket, then at the large crystal mass towering over both of them. "You didn't seem to collect any yellow crystals..."

"What for?" Sakura scoffed. "...You really don't know anything about crystal magic, do you? Yellow crystals cause paralysis. I was going to try to break a piece off and toss it at you, back when you attacked me. They're good for their numbing qualities once they've been diluted, so they can help with pain regulation. But I don't need that today."

"Then let's head back,"

Sakura eyed him warily. "How about you walk in front of me? You walking behind me just makes me feel like you'll pounce the minute my guard is down."

"A Summon who harms their Summoner would face dire repercussions. I am..."

"Going to be a pain in my ass no matter what, I know," Sakura rubbed her temple.

Sai blinked in confusion. That wasn't what he'd been about to say...at all. And, was she trying to say he was a nuisance? well, he understood why she might feel that way. Usually a contract was mutually agreed upon and not undertaken lightly. But, due to the desperateness of his situation, he had taken the first opportunity he had to claim a powerful, unattached Summoner. It was within her right to loathe him. He, of all others, understood what it meant to be controlled.

"You coming?" Sai looked up, and Sakura was already well ahead of him. He caught up to her in a light sprint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to clear up that right now, Sai is not exactly attached to Sakura for cute and fluffy reasons. Think of it this way, a good match helps stabilize the magic of both Summoner and Summon...a win-win. Sai was weak, and his magic was erratic. Sakura is a strong anchor, a good match for just about any Summon. It's a matter of survival right now. Feelings come in later.  
> Sorry Gaara's introduction was so morbid. lol


	4. In the Name of Awkward Situations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sai and Sakura continue to try and adapt to each other. Granted it's easier in theory. Ino pops in to help. Or maybe only to get the latest scoop?

Sai slowly glanced around the room as Sakura flipped the light on. "Alright, you'll be here for right now. Just put anything you move back where you found it." She watched him step further into the room and sniff the air quietly.

"It smells like that dark-haired woman…but the smell has faded."

"Well that's because it's _Shizune's_ room." Sakura explained, rolling her eyes. "She hasn't lived here in a while though."

The shifter stopped sniffing and turned to the fae impatiently standing by the door. "Where's your room?"

Sakura eyed him suspiciously. "Right down the hall. Adjacent door. You'd better not have anything funny in mind. I still don't trust you and Tsunade won't hesitate to drop-kick your ass to hell."

Sai glanced at his bare feet, sighing. "I think I should be closer."

Sakura's eye twitched and she stepped back, out into the hall. "Oh no you don't! Don't pull that crap again. _This_ is as close as you're gonna get, so be grateful. We've got a lot more to talk about in the morning."

She shut the door before he had a chance to reply.

Sakura sighed heavily, leaning her back against the wood and then sliding down until she was crouching on the floor outside the door.

The guy was a headache. Her heartrate had been erratic for over an hour, the stress making her nerves bad. Shakily reaching into the pocket of her hoodie, Sakura fished out her phone and smoothed a thumb over the black screen, watching it light up with life. She didn't see why she even bothered with a phone, because she hardly used it. For a teenager in the "prime" of her life, as Tsunade often called it, she was woefully under-connected.

Her only contacts were Shizune, Tsunade, Ino and her parents. She had once had the numbers of schoolmates who had exchanged information with her on her last day, promising to keep in touch. But she suspected it was out of a pity, a move the teacher had likely strong-armed the class into. Sakura had kept to herself, a loner that had never had much luck with popularity.

Years before, she had learned that without much commonality with the others, she was destined to be mostly alone. So she buried herself in her books, making friends with the characters from the pages of her favorite stories, who gave her strength.

As a child, Sakura had wanted desperately to be liked and accepted by her peers. She stuck out like a sore thumb with pink hair and a wide forehead that everyone enjoyed commenting on. Almost all the others knew what their lives would be like when they were older. Most of her classmates didn't have the problem of one day inheriting rare magic.

Some had elemental magic. It was fairly common to be born with and nothing special, but career options were broad enough that no one with it had to worry much about finding work. Then there were her shifter classmates. Their lives were fairly simple too, because shifters made good explorers and bounty-hunters and bodyguards. It was work that appealed to their more animalistic tendencies and the adventure-seeking side most had. Sakura had only ever met one before Sai that the teacher said would need a Summoner someday. A quiet, clumsy girl almost as unpopular as herself. She cried often from being picked on, and Sakura was always too timid to stand up for her, but she pitied her all the same.

By the time she was twelve, everyone knew what Sakura would probably grow up to be, and the apathy had turned to envy.

" _I heard this rumor that Haruno might have Summoning magic._ "

" _Just 'cause she's a fae freak? There's no way to know until she takes the Test or meets a Summon she's compatible with. She probably just started that rumor to make herself popular._ "

" _I wish I could get Summoner magic! Everybody knows Summoners have it made. The government gives them whatever they want._ "

" _It's not fair…why should it be Haruno?"_

They had no idea how badly she would have traded places with any one of them for a relatively mundane life of using magic in obscurity. They were jealous because they couldn't see the bigger picture. She'd lose all sense of freedom if she worked for the government; they were such a rare resource to the Five Elemental Kingdoms that Summoners and their Familiars tended to be drained dry by the time it was acceptable to retire.

Moving away from the constant whispers and weighing stares had been liberating. They probably celebrated. After some time living with Tsunade and adjusting to life around Konoha, Sakura had deleted all the numbers of people she knew she'd never see again. It was pointless to keep them.

"It's alright," Tsunade had said. "All you really need is one good friend. And you've got that in Ino. She's mouthy, but I like her moxie."

Sakura had to agree that despite her occasional vanity, she had never once doubted Ino would be there when she needed her. And she just happened to need her now.

Shooting a quick text that she hoped didn't come across too desperate, Sakura put her phone back in her pocket. Either she'd get a flustered phone call or Ino would just meet her in town at the mall the next day like she had asked, but either way she'd get a response.

The day had been an incredibly long one. Her mind was full of too many thoughts, and too many unanswered questions. The only thing that could alleviate some of her worries was waiting in her room, on her nightstand.

Sakura grinned wryly, pressing a knuckle to her damp eyes where angry tears were starting to well. Only a day ago she had told herself she would put the book on Summoners Ino had given her away, bury it from sight and mind until she was forced to face it. Sakura wished she'd known that day would be so, so soon.

* * *

Temari watched Kankuro pace the room, unproductively she might add, and sucked her teeth. "Could you stop? All that's doing is making me dizzy and wearing a hole in the floor."

Kankuro rewarded her with a sharp glare from over his shoulder. "You think this is the time to be joking? Damnit Temari, they're gonna _kill_ Gaara!"

"I…I know that alright?" Temari shook her head. "But right now we've got to be level-headed, think of something…"

A tentative knock interrupted her, and they both warily looked at the door. "Should we even get that?" Kankuro whispered. "I mean who can we even trust right now besides each other?"

Temari shrugged. "Just see who it is, at least. No reason to make them suspicious."

Kankuro grudgingly opened the door enough so that they could see who it was. Yashamaru stood wringing his hands on the other side.

"What the hell do you want?" Kankuro hissed, clenching the wood hard.

The man patted at his neck with a handkerchief, his dark blue eyes refusing to focus on a single point in the room. The King's study had always been a dour place, heavy tomes on the shelves and the kingdom's past major doctrines framed on the walls. The crimson and beige motif and high winged-back chairs lended a certain cold aristocracy to the space.

Yashamaru lifted his hands to show them he was unarmed. "It's not what you probably think…" he swallowed. "I…I'm here to help."

"I think you've done enough of that by testifying, uncle." Temari leveled him with a cool gaze. "Leave us."

"No, you don't understand. I know what I said…how damning it was, but…but the more I thought about it, the more certain things just didn't add up. And now…now I feel terrible. Gaara has become increasingly more unstable, but if there's a chance he can still go on to find a Summoner and live normally, then I don't feel right allowing him to die."

"What are you trying to say?" Kankuro asked impatiently. "Sounds like you're feeling guilty. And you should. Sunset is in six hours."

Yashamaru glanced out into the hall, then nodded his head at Kankuro. "May I? It's…" he lowered his voice. "There are too many ears to the walls out here."

Kankuro sized the man up, his face guarded, before stepping aside. Yashamaru quickly scurried into the room and Kankuro shut and bolted the door. Temari got up, took out a candle, and lit it, setting it on a stand by the door.

"What's that for?" Kankuro sniffed at the air. "It's making my head…sort of fuzzy…"

"Don't sit there breathing it in, genius." Temari rolled her eyes. "It's got disorientation properites. Anyone who gets too close to the door will get confused and forget what they were doing. Father use to use them a lot when he was having council meetings he didn't want any of us snooping around outside of."

Kankuro raised a brow, impressed. "And you managed to figure this out?"

"Yep," Temari smirked proudly. "Can't burn it for too long or it'll start effecting all of us in here too, though," She turned to Yashamaru. "So whatever you need to say, make it fast."

Yashamaru bowed his head. "Yes, right." He cleared his throat. "I'm afraid it may be too late to clear your brother's name…"

Kankuro threw up his hands. "You're wasting our time!" Temari placed a halting hand on his arm.

"Kankuro, shut up."

"But I think…I think if we work together and hurry, we can help him to escape."

The siblings both froze, processing his words. "What?" they said in unison.

"Escape. We'll help Prince Gaara escape. I know the city's underground catacombs extensively, and I believe I can have him smuggled out on short notice. I can't promise you will be able to contact him. And where he end up is anyone's guess…"

"How can we even trust you?!" Kankuro roared. "Not that long ago you stood on a stand and told the entire kingdom Gaara was a murderer that was a danger to himself and everyone around him."

Yashamaru frowned. "It's strange…I'm aware of what I said, but I also feel as if I had been persuaded just before testifying."

"Are you saying you were hypnotized?"

"Something along those lines. At any rate, if the two of you agree, we have to act fast. Time is swiftly running out."

"I'll help Gaara no matter what," Temari declared.

"Yeah," Kankuro agreed. "Yeah, me too."

"Excellent," the blonde man smiled gently. "Then let's get to work, shall we?" He calmly walked to a framed portrait of the late King Rasa, who scowled down at them disapprovingly. Yashamaru looked the leering painting right into its cold eyes. "The eyes see true."

Kankuro blinked. "What the hell does that me—"

The portrait vanished to reveal what was clearly a wall unlike the others in the room.

"Was that portrait just the seal to an illusion spell?" Temari gaped. Tanuki were known for being exceptionally skilled illusionists, able to alter not only themselves, but their surroundings, but Temari had thought she'd discovered all her father's tricks.

"Better question, is this…a false wall?" Kankuro pressed against the wall and it gave, revealing a small room no bigger than a cell.

"We'll be going down," Yashamaru explained, ushering the two siblings into the room and tapping twice on the floor with his heel.

"Down? Down whee—" Temari's question died in a choked scream as the floor gave out under them, dropping them below, into the dark.

* * *

Sakura sat on her bed, feet drawn to her chest and the book sitting on her knees. She stared at it, hand hovering just over the unopened hardcover. In it were the answers to all her questions—or at least a majority of them. But Sakura wasn't stupid. She knew opening the book meant there was truly no going back and she had accepted her fate. ' _This is stupid. It's a book with knowledge I need. Since when has learning scared me?_ '

That thought steeled her nerves enough for her to flip to the first page. It was the introduction, and Sakura half-heartedly read through it before starting on the first chapter. " _There's a lot of fascination and intrigue surrounding the art of Summoning magic. But it isn't right for everyone. In fact, due to its unique properties, only a select few races have been known to master it. From these races, only a select few individuals among them possess the potential to Summon._ " Sakura already knew this.

She'd heard it enough times growing up. Her mother especially had informed her that working as a state-sponsored Summoner one day would bring honor to the family. " _While individuals have been shown to possess the ability from an early age, Summoning is a weighty responsibility. Due to this, there are strict rules imposed that say one must be of age in their region before being considered for the Summoning test. This test consists of submitting a thimble-amount of blood to be litmus-tested. Once confirmed, the process of matching Summon to Summoner can begin."_

Sakura snorted as she read. That was the part that had been taken completely out of her hands. She had Sai for the time being, regardless of how she felt about the strange were-jaguar. " _A Summoner should carefully study the customs and traits of each yokai and shifter race before making a decision. Any Summoner who is unsure is encouraged to visit their local Summoner agency and take a Soul-Match test._ "

While it had never been something she'd even considered, the pinkette had at least heard of the agency where Summoners who needed help finding a Summon could go. People could select their potential partner from a database, meet them, and make a decision with the government's "match-making" help. The idea always made her skin-crawl. Partners who formed contracts that way were required to register with the Regulatory Council of Magical Management, the top governing body for all things pertaining to magic. All she'd ever wanted to do was live under their radar.

Sakura decided to skip ahead to another chapter and see if she could find any new information. " _Getting started with Summoning will require time to understand your partner and properly sync with them. All partnerships are different, and while it is possible, it isn't advised to force them."_ Too late for that, Sakura thought bitterly. " _When a successful link has been created, a Summon will manifest a Limiter somewhere on their bodies. A Limiter can take any form, but necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings tend to be the most common. These items help keep a Summon's newly increased power in check, and can only be released by their Summoner._ " Sakura remembered seeing a small gold cuff on the upper part of Sai's right ear. If it was up to her, it was never coming off. " _Additionally, all Summoners should have an Evoker made. These are traditionally custom and are unique to the Summoners themselves. As with Limiters, Evokers come in a variety of styles. When transfused together, these two items become a new asset for the team._ " Well…there was some new information she hadn't known. What did transfused together even mean?

' _Shit…am I really cut out for any of this?'_ Sakura threw herself back against the mattress, turning her head into the pillow. ' _Guess I've got to get an Evoker tomorrow. And figure out how to make this work until I can I can lose the weirdo…'_ She yawned, the events of the day catching up with her. Snuggling down on top of the sheets, Sakura let her eyes flutter shut. It wasn't all that late, and she still had a lot to read about, but….tomorrow was another day and a new start.

* * *

Despite the desert city having only cooled marginally throughout the day since sunrise, it seemed like the whole kingdom was packed into the streets, watching the procession that would march the condemned prince to his execution. Despite the weight of his impending death, the redhead remained expressionless, oblivious to the crowd, the heat, or the chains at his wrists and throat.

When they reached the destination, a small building with a domed roof, a resigned sigh passed through his lips.

The air was cool inside, but charged with so much tension it hardly made a difference. This was where the worst criminals in the capital came to die. It had been almost a thousand years since it had served as the execution ground for a member of the royal family, a hallmarked occasion not lost on the city, or likely the world. News of the king's demise at the hands of his youngest son had already circulated well-beyond the border.

"This way, Prince Gaara," the guard on his right rumbled. Down to the end of the hall, into a blank room with only a metal chair in the center. That's where they forced him to sit and shackled him in.

The guards left, and a man in a swooping white lab coat walked in, a saccharine smile of sympathy on his face. He was unfamiliar, but the heavy almost archaic contraption he brought with him was at least something recognizable, if only from the pages of history books. Once placed around the victim's neck, it offered a slow and agonizing death in which the individual's magic was sucked out with their life-force. A criminal deserved no better, after all.

"I see you are undaunted. Very good. A man who has killed should never fear death," he said, holding the heavy contraption up to the young man's face. The tanuki stared at it with blank teal eyes.

Once the collar was secured, the man strolled over to a series of panels on a switchboard, his long black hair swishing behind him. "We'll start this on the lowest setting, hm…break you into it, but only because a member of the royal family deserves only the utmost respect." The oily smile was nothing short of mocking. "Before I start, are there any last words I can pass along to your loved ones?"

For the first time, the prince raised his head, his mouth twisting restlessly. "Tell them that I have no regrets. This death, my death, isn't in vain because the red runs on."

The executioner raised a finely waxed eyebrow. "What an interesting parting message indeed. You seem very sure of yourself." The man flipped the switchboard and the collar buzzed to life. "It's a shame…I think I would have liked to see what makes someone like you tic."

**~XoXoXoXo~**

"Is that…did we really just let him die? Like _that_?" Kankuro swallowed. The little death dome was too small to city from their distance, but he knew what had happened by now. He and Temari stood staring out over the city from the rooftop balcony of the King's estate.

"He made his choice." Temari bowed her head solemnly. "We should respect it… and get out of here. No one was expecting us to show up to something like that anyway. Don't mess this _up_ Kankuro! From now on, we're in mourning."

"I know, I know…" her brother grumbled. "Don't start bitching at me."

"Then prepare yourself. We _all_ have our roles to play. They already want to coronate me…and there's no way in hell I'm ready to be queen."

Kankuro looked down over the railing and smirked, imagining the families all tucked safely away in their domed houses. "Yeah…you, a queen? Who would've ever imagined that?"

"Watch it little brother," Temari smiled tightly, knuckling his head hard.

"Ouch!" Kankuro moved away, out of her reach. He rubbed his head, staring out at the expanse of the city, the street lights and porch lights just starting to come on. As a kid, he hadn't cared much for Suna's infrastructure. It reminded him of the inside of a bee hive. Now there was a strange comfort to it. "Hey…you think he'll really be alright out there? If anyone finds out we're _all_ dead."

"Of course," Temari answered immediately. "He can take care of himself better than anyone. You know that as much as I do. All he's gotta do is lay low somewhere until we can get this mess cleared up."

Kankuro nodded slowly. "It's sort of lame of me to whine when I'm not the one on the run right now."

"Exactly," Temari sniffed.

* * *

The ceiling of her bedroom was the first thing that greeted her when she opened her eyes. Something felt different though. The weight of someone's stare pressed into her side, and Sakura rolled over in alarm.

There, watching her intently, was Sai.

"You're awake. You moan quite a bit in your sleep."

Sakura sat up with a scream, grabbing her alarm clock and throwing it at him. Sai's reflexes kicked in and he dodged it, causing the poor device to smash against the wall. Scrambling away, Sakura clutched her pillow tightly to hide herself. She suddenly felt too exposed in her tiny teddy bear shorts and matching camisole.

"What the hell are you _doing_ in here?!" she sputtered.

"I told you yesterday evening I didn't feel my accommodations were close enough to yours."

"So you _snuck in_?!" she glared. "How long have you been here?"

"Only since sunrise." Sai said after taking a minute to think about it.

Sakura fumbled for her phone and glanced at the time. It was well past eleven in the morning. "You're telling me that you've been watching me sleep for _over...five…hours_?!" she could feel her face warming up considerably, both from anger and embarrassment.

Sai nodded, albeit hesitantly. Fuming, Sakura raised the pillow over her head. "Sai?"

"Y-Yes, master?"

He never knew something so soft could hurt so much when it was used to strike an individual in the face with such force. The hit sent him crashing against her computer chair, and all his killer instincts didn't stop him from falling over the chair and onto the floor, where he laid, dazed as Sakura stomped up to him.

Her angry face and fiery green eyes were the first thing he focused on, and then the freckles sprinkled across the bridge of her crinkled nose. His head was throbbing from where he had hit it, and he decided it wasn't the best time to tell her with her bent at the waist over him, he could see straight down her top. Sai slowly attempted to turn his aching head, the last thing he wanted was for her to notice him looking at her breasts and strike him again. She seemed to have knack for turning just about anything in her hands into a dangerous weapon.

Sakura clenched the remains of her destroyed pillow, feathers falling from her shaking fists. "Great. Now I need a new alarm clock _and_ a new pillow. I guess it's a good thing we're going into town today."

Sai slowly picked himself up as she walked around the room, running her hands through her hair and pushing it behind her pointed ears. "You're gonna need to shower…but I don't have any boy clothes for you, so I guess you can just give me what you have and I'll wash it while you're in the bathroom." He noticed his master seemed to be muttering mostly to herself, even though it sounded addressed to him. "I don't really want anyone to see me with a Summon, but I guess it can't be helped…if no one asks, I don't have to say anything, right? …Right."

Sai watched her curiously. She was engaging in an entirely one-sided conversation, and he could almost see the gears turning in her head as she carefully thought everything through. Finally turning back to him, she narrowed her eyes. "Get up and get ready, bathroom is down the hall to the left. There's soap towels and whatever else you need under the sink."

She grabbed her phone and started walking past him to the door. Pausing just in the threshold, she turned to him. "One more thing…if I ever, _ever_ catch you doing anything creepy like that again, the contract be damned, I'll string you up by your tail and beat your ass."

Despite the countless dangers he'd faced while in service to his last master, despite his record of confirmed kills, something about her aura in that moment wasn't the peaceful, bright one he had been determined to attach himself to. It was filled with a disturbing amount of killer intent. Sai felt a small shiver go up his spine.

Sakura noticed his hesitation and nodded to herself, marching out of the room and slamming the door behind her.

**~XoXoXoXo~**

"Uh-oh," she heard Tsunade yawn from behind her. "All this food can only mean one thing. You're angry-cooking again."

Sakura muttered something unintelligible under her breath as she focused on the frying bacon.

"I take it last night was rough." Tsunade moved to the expresso machine, watching as one of the cups flew to fill itself.

Sakura plated the bacon, then turned to the cinnamon French toast she was making. "Not last night, this morning…" She took a deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth. Her cheeks were turning pink just thinking about it. "He was…he was in my room when I woke up. He'd been in there for hours just watching me like some kind of pervert! Who does that?"

Tsunade raised a brow, and then shook her head. "You've truly got your hands full with that one. Seems to me like he doesn't understand even the simplest social cues. He's like some kind of robot, existing for a mission." The blonde reached up into the cabinet and took down more plates. "Unfortunate. But that's not so uncommon for anyone that lived like he did for so long. Those Compellers are pretty notorious for stripping the emotions and personalities out of their Summons. If he was taken young like I suspect, it's no wonder he's so socially stunted."

"I really didn't ask for this." Sakura complained, flipping the toast as it got golden brown. "I mean," she blew a strand of hair from her face. "At the very least I wanted to finish my apprenticeship with you first, and then _maybe_ try for a Summon. A girl."

Tsunade gave her a sympathetic look. "It's not what I ever imagined or wanted for you, that's for sure. But at least you've got the best head of any kid I know on your shoulders. And even if Mr. Personality is clueless about everything else, he's dead-set on sticking by you…" The two females shared an eye roll. "So…until this is over, you've got me in your corner."

"Wow, you're pretty cool when you're sober, I have to say," Sakura grinned. Tsunade snatched up a piece of bacon, biting into is with a frown.

"Watch yourself, Sakura," she warned, no bite in her tone.

Sakura laughed, taking the French toast from the pan with a spatula. It wasn't the traditional breakfast they normally ate, but she had been in the mood to indulge herself with something foreign. She deserved it. The scrambled eggs were nice and fluffy and still warm thanks to the heating charm stuck to the bottom of the pan.

"Alright, now I've just gotta go and check on his clothes before he gets out of the—"

Both women looked up from the food as they heard quiet footsteps on the stairs. Sakura gaped, her face turning scarlet as she fumbled to keep from dropping the pan on the floor. Tsunade took a long sip from her cup. "Hot damn," she smirked, pulling it from her lips. "You've really, _really_ got your hands full."

Sai stood there with a towel wrapped around his waist, his hair and skin still wet from the shower. "Master, I finished bathing. I couldn't find where you put my clothes—"

"G-Get back upstairs!" Sakura hissed, running over with the spatula raised threateningly. Despite her face remaining a noticeable shade of red, she was clearly trying to play it off.

Sai gave her a confused look, but started heading back up the stairs after glancing at the spatula contemplatively. That…didn't look like something he wanted to be hit with. In the just over two days he had known her, she'd managed to strike him with a pickaxe, a pillow and her fist. Each time has hurt a little more than the last. "Get back! Get back! Get back!" she screeched, embarrassed Tsunade even had to catch sight of it.

Tsunade watched her goddaughter chase Sai all the way back up to the flat. She sighed wistfully. "Oh, to be young…" Eying the table of finished food, she licked her lips slyly. "More for me, I suppose."

~XoXoXoXo~

Sakura sat down heavily on an empty bus seat, Sai settling in beside her. After a walk to the bus stop that consisted of ignoring the shifter's attempts at an awkward apology (that he likely didn't even understand why he was giving), and a morning of dealing with his antics, she was already worn out. Definitely not ready to face the world—but mostly Ino—after that.

"We're going to meet my friend in the city and get some clothes because you can't keep walking around barefoot and wearing that outfit." She was starting to feel like she dragging around some kind of escaped convict—which she almost _was_ , but that was beside the point—with him wearing the drab clothes he'd arrived in.

Sai looked down at himself.

"And!" Sakura held up a finger. "A few ground rules before we get there. Don't say anything about being my Summon in public. You're just Sai, my… _my friend_ for now, got it?"

"If that's what you want…"

"It is." Sakura quickly agreed. "And I don't really have to tell you the next thing because you'll do it no matter what, but stay close. Not too close, but not so far I can't drag you out of the store if there's a problem." At this point, her headache was only growing worse. Sakura felt as though she was talking to a child, when in actuality for all she knew, Sai could have been older than her.

Sai's dark eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why would there be a problem?" he asked lowly.  
"I don't know," Sakura drawled. "You tell me since you're the one most likely to _cause_ the problem."

"I understand the need for discretion." Sai stated.

"Oh really?" Sakura gave him a skeptical side-glance.

"Yes, I needed to use it often with the assignments my old master sent me on."

Sakura's face became strained. "Let's not…not talk about that in public."

"Understood."

~XoXoXoXo~

Sakura hustled into the department store after getting a confirmation text with a highly dubious undertone from Ino that said she'd be there. The blonde was standing with her back facing them, waiting in men's wear like Sakura had asked. It hadn't been that long since she'd last seen the long blond hair and stylish outfit she associated with her oldest friend, but it almost made her sigh in relief.

"Ino, thanks for coming!" she grinned, running up to her friend and hugging her.

"S-Sakura, hey! W-What!" Ino pushed her back, tilting her head. "What's gotten into you? And what's with the super weird texts? I mean, you know you never have to beg me to shop but—" She noticed Sai come up beside Sakura and blinked, her eyes wide.

"E-Excuse us for a second!"

Sakura began to protest as Ino yanked her by the arm, behind a rack of shirts.

"S-Sakura, who's that?" she smiled charmingly in Sai's direction. Sakura mimed for him to smile back while Ino wasn't watching, and groaned internally when she watched Sai paste on the phoniest smile she had ever seen. Right. So there was something else they could work on. Ino giggled girlishly. Then she turned on Sakura again, grasping the pinkette by the shoulders. "I did _not_ show up just to be third wheel on your date. And what the hell, he's hot! Why didn't you bring _me_ a hot guy?"

Sakura scowled. "Ino, shut up for a second. That's not my boyfriend. That's—"

"Sai. I'm her friend." The shifter had popped up behind the whispering girls and was clearly listening to the conversation. Sakura gave him a subtle glare, but ignored it.

"From out of town!" Sakura added hopefully.

Ino glanced between them. "Okaaay…you never _told me_ you had any hot friends from out of town." She gave him a once over. "Why isn't he wearing shoes?"

"Er, well…s-shifters don't normally wear any where he's from…" Sakura tried lamely.

Ino didn't look particularly convinced. "Uh-huh…where did you say that was again?"

"I didn't, but I'm from—"

"It's one of the little island villages outside the Five Elemental kingdoms. You know Tsuchigakure? It's there."

Ino seemed to accept that. "Cool. I hear it's really nice and tropical there. I mean I'd like to go, get a tan and see some sights. Maybe if I come visit, you could show me around?" Ino sidled up beside Sai, biting her lip innocently while staring up at him from under her full lashes.

"I'm sorry," Sai said, clearly confused. "I only guide my ma—"

"Ino, this isn't a hook-up." Sakura face-palmed in annoyance. She hadn't counted on Ino being _this_ taken with Sai. "Sai just got in from his flight late last night and he doesn't have much. He's staying at my place for a little while and he needs clothes, but you know I'm not all that good with that stuff. So I need your help. _Please_?"

Ino perked up. "Getting him new clothes, eh?" she stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Well I have to say, it's not the emergency I was expecting. But I can definitely work with this." She clapped her hands together in determination. "Alright! Sai, when I'm done with you, you're gonna go from an eight to a ten."

Sai turned to Sakura. "What's the relevance of numbers in this situation?"

Embarrassed, Sakura turned to Ino. "He was kind of sheltered in Tsuchi, so he may not be up to speed on every little expression."

Ino gave Sai a look of pity. "Then I'll just have to catch you up on that too. How do you feel about fashion? Do you want a look that's understated, or edgy?"

Sakura sighed heavily. Ino was clearly excited to be having Sai to dress up however she wanted, but the were-jaguar was absolutely clueless and she was just too fed up to care. "It's probably a good idea if you show him examples."

Ino smacked herself on the forehead. "Right. Here…" she fished a magazine out of her designer tote. "I always carry the latest issue."

Sakura watched Sai take the glossy magazine from her friend and begin thumbing through it. ' _Please tell me he can read…'_

"Some of these outfits are very revealing…" Sai mumbled to himself. "I suppose that's best for utility though. Too many layers would impede stealth and—"

"Ino just work your magic," Sakura interrupted. "You have my full permission to do what you need to do."

Ino squealed, quickly twirling before taking Sai by the hand. "This is formal men's wear, let's move to the teen section, alright?" Her gloss lips pulled into a sweet smile. Sakura trailed behind the two, Sai glanced back at her restlessly.

Sakura waved a hand, telling him it'd be alright.


	5. A Dangerous Excursion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip out to the mall turns into a violent brawl when a mysterious group turns up.

Shopping wasn't something Sakura saw as horrible, or even a chore, but she was feeling increasingly more like an intruder every time Ino overtly flirted with Sai—even if it all went over his head.

They had been through three stores and to a smoothie stand (attempting to explain the little umbrellas in the smoothies was exhausting, at best), but Ino was as energized as when they'd first started. It was a harder to tell how the shifter truly felt, for obvious reasons, but Sakura was counting down the minutes until the whole experience was over.

She sucked angrily from her bended straw as Ino continued to ramble on. "You know, I really do like him." she said, "This is sort of how I always imagined going shopping with my boyfriend would be. And he's my type too. Hot, polite, and he pretty much listens to whatever I say without question." Ino placed a hand to her warm cheek, gushing. "The only thing I didn't fantasize about was you being the third wheel."

"What was that?" Sakura growled, clenching the plastic cup in her hand with more force than necessary.

Ino's smirk was deliberately taunting.

Sai's head poked out of the dressing room stall in that moment. "I put on the top I found. Should I come out now?"

Sakura sighed, and the smell of her own mango-scented breath hit her in the face. "As long as you're wearing pants." After the towel-incident earlier that morning, she couldn't be too careful.

Sai appeared wearing a black crop top with asymmetrical sleeves and two red stripes traveling down from both shoulders to the hem. The defined muscles of his taut abdomen were on full display and Sakura felt her face starting to warm up. "Is…Is that even a men's shirt?" she squeaked.

Ino clapped a hand over her friend's mouth. "Who cares? Do you _see_ that six pack?" she whispered. To Sai, she smiled dazzlingly. "It looks great! Definitely the right style for you."

"I don't mind it, I admit. But, these pants seem far more restricting than necessary." he pointed down to the skinny jeans Ino had insisted he try on.

"I've gotta agree with Sai on that one." Sakura couldn't help but wince. While the jeans didn't exactly _look_ bad, even with the shifter's lean physique they were probably at least mildly uncomfortable.

"Sakura, you asked me to help him find a wardrobe, and we're finding a wardrobe. We want Sai here to be cool, right? I mean he's hanging with you and that's already hurting his rep."

Sakura rolled her eyes hard and let them stay there.

"Alright, that was a real workout but I think we're done." Ino pretended to dust her hands off, walking them to checkout. Sakura glanced at Sai. His arms were just as full of clothes as hers were. Somehow, they had been left to carry everything while Ino insisted her "noodle arms" wouldn't be strong enough to carry much.

The bored faun running the register looked up with a gasp as they heaped all of Sai's new things onto his counter. Sakura reluctantly fished out her credit card, holding it out as he began to scan crop tops and the damnable skinny jeans that she was determined Sai was not going to set foot outside in. "Found enough today?" he asked lightly.

Sakura stared at Ino, who was studying her phone in interest. "Plenty." she ground out.

Sakura noticed studying Sai was studying the goat-man intently, and inwardly groaned when his mouth opened.

"Are those horns…heavy?"

Sakura flushed, embarrassed. She should have known he'd find a way, _some way_ to do this to her.

"Sai, that's _rude_ —" she muttered.

"Oh, my apologies then." he said emptily.

The faun stared at them strangely from over the rims of his glasses. "Are you not from around here?" he asked. "You act as though you've never seen a faun." he began to laugh, but when Sai continued to stare at him blankly, he cleared his throat awkwardly. "I've had these horns my entire life, young man." He tipped his head. "I'm use to the weight." The faun glanced around. "Ah, excuse me. I'll get some bigger bags for these, just a moment." With that, he jogged off on cloven hooves.

"He's not wearing pants." Sai observed. "I thought that it was impolite to be unclothed in public."

"Normally it is." Sakura made sure she emphasized every word. "But, since fauns have their wool, wearing pants gets uncomfortable for them. And honestly Sai, do a better job not to freak people out, okay?" Leaning away so Ino couldn't see, Sakura pinched his cheek firmly as a warning and Sai nodded slowly, subtly trying to get away from her grip.

"I understand."

"I doubt that, but pretend you—"

A clap louder than thunder rocked the room and Sakura heard several frantic screams all at once. One of them, she knew, came from Ino. A hard body knocked into hers as Sai forced her to the ground, hovering over her. "What the… Sai, move!"

"No," he stated firmly. "You are my master. As your Summon I am your sword…and your shield." Sakura stilled her hands from pushing at his chest, surprised by the vehemence. It was the most emotion she'd gotten from the shifter since they'd met. Luckily, Ino hadn't heard the exchange, too busy panicking.

"Something's wrong, Sakura!" Ino cried. The pinkette turned her head to see Ino crawling over to them. "We…we have to get out of here." Another loud explosion rocked the building, dislodging a piece of the ceiling that came crashing down alarmingly close. Sakura felt her own body tense as she stared at the slab.

"And which way are we supposed to run?" Sakura snapped. "We don't even know what's going on!" Even if Sakura wanted to get up, Sai managed to keep her pressed down flat bodily.

"W-Well we can at least hide somewhere!" Ino frantically looked around. Sakura forced Sai back by the shoulders, ignoring the low warning growls as she followed her friend to hide behind the checkout counter and urged Sai to follow.

Sakura's eyes roved around the department store. Everyone was either trying to escape or looking for somewhere to hide. A centaur and her daughter galloped to a halt nearby to hide behind a jewelry counter, blood dripping from a cut on the mother's cheek.

The fear in the dark green eyes of the centaur was evident. "What happened?" Sakura whispered.

"One minute my daughter and I were shopping and the next minute someone blew a hole right through the side of the wall! T-Then people in uniforms I'd never seen before stormed in and we ran."

Ino gripped Sakura's shoulder tightly. "Sakura, this is getting scary."

Sakura nodded. "We…we just have to stay here until it's over…here, I'll text Tsuna—"

"Have we checked this way?"

Sakura felt her blood freeze and she cut herself off midsentence, pressing as flat as she could with Ino. Sai remained crouched in front of them, his body tense. The sound of boots crunching over glass and rubble alerted them to possible danger. Even without touching him, she could feel the low growl rumbling in Sai's throat.

He was twitching and she could see small patches of hair beginning to cover the back of his neck. "No!" she warned. "Not right now!" Her voice was almost a plea, but Sai glanced at her and settled. Three shadows rounded the corner of the counter, and Sakura gulped. A crackling hum cut through the tension.

"It's saying there's on this way…"

The footsteps drew closer and Sai started growling again, his body on the cusp of shifting. "They smell like dark magic."

Hearing that didn't do anything to alleviate Sakura's fear. Whoever these people were, they were dangerous. Sakura could see them, standing on the other side of the jewelry counter the centaurs were hiding behind. Their backs were facing them and they wore dark, hooded utility uniforms. _'What the…'_

"What's wrong?"

"I think the machine is saying we're close, but…" he paused and tilted a small box in his hands. "Sort of far away?"

"Gimme that stupid!" His taller companion snatched it away and began waving the box around impatiently.

"What're you doing?!" a slightly effeminate voice squeaked. "You'll break it."

"Shuddup. I've been at this way longer than you. Here, look." Sakura squinted at their backs, trying to look for anything that made them distinguishable from one another besides their heights and voices. If they lived, she wanted to have a good look at the people that had made the outing the worst mall trip of her life. The machine whirred in earnest.

 _'It looks like some kind of…honing device?_ ' From her position crouched behind the counter it was hard to see.

They drifted around the jewelry counter and noticed the two centaurs, mother clutching daughter to her chest. "Please," she began begging as soon as they laid eyes on her. "Please let us go. Or at least spare my daughter."

"Shut up!" She cried out when they kicked her hard in the head. "You cretins are beneath us. You shouldn't even be breathing in our direction."

"Mama!"

"You too, brat!" Sakura felt her temper rise as the man lifted his steel-toed boot again.

"Sakura, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" she heard Ino protest as she rose to her feet.

"Hey! You tough guys think it's cool to bully a defenseless kid?"

Even with her heartbeat hammering in her ears, Sakura managed to stare them down defiantly. Sai and Ino stood up behind her.

"What's this?" The tallest figure, the one holding the box, pointed it directly at them. "This thing's going nuts! One of them's our target, boys! Get the capture bubble out."

"Capture bubble?" Ino gaped.

"You stay away from us." Sakura threatened.

"Or what? You'll cry?" the shortest man scoffed. He pulled something from a utility belt Sakura hadn't even noticed he was wearing, tossing it in their direction.

Several things happened simultaneously. Sai shifted completely, lunging at the men with an angry roar. Ino was clearly shocked, but to her credit she recovered quickly, stretching her hands toward a nearby indoor plant and causing it to break free of the large pot it sat in.

One of the men cried out in pain as the once harmless fauna suddenly grew and wrapped its broad leaves around him in a vice. Sakura heard the young centaur girl scream in terror as Sai pressed his claws deep into his victim's chest.

Managing to ignore it, Sakura rushed to see if the woman was alright. "Here, hold her up," she instructed. Sniffling, the young girl wiped at her eyes and propped her mother's human torso up. "Mama…" she sobbed quietly.

"She'll be alright, see?" Sakura placed both hands on either side of the unconscious centaur's head and began channeling her healing powers into it. She could feel the swelling going down even as she smiled reassuringly at the mesmerized girl. It wasn't long before the centaur's eyes fluttered open.

"Mama!" her daughter squealed.

"Hiko, are…are you alright?" she sounded groggy, but Sakura had no doubt she'd be just fine.

"Uh-huh. The nice lady stopped them before they hit me." Deep green eyes slowly fell on Sakura.

"Thank you…for protecting my daughter."

Sakura smiled bashfully. "N-No problem!"

"Eek! Let go, creep!" The pinkette turned her head to see two more goons had arrived as backup and were trying to wrestle Ino into submission. She was fighting them valiantly, managing to sweep the feet from under one of them, but the other was pressing a cloth over her mouth, and Sakura could see the fight starting to leave her as she swayed.

"Ino!" Sakura charged, her fist raised and ready to strike when someone grabbed her hard by the elbow, twisting her arm. The fae immediately began to thrash, throwing her head back into the nose of whoever was holding her as hard as possible.

"This is the one!" her captor announced to his comrades. "This is the one with Summoning magic."

Sakura was so stunned she stopped fighting, turning to look him in the eyes, but of course all she saw was his black gas mask. "Sorry girlie, but you're coming with us."

Sakura shook her head, screaming as he picked her up by the waist and tossed her over his shoulder. That was when she saw the jaguar charging toward them, sleek muscle and jet black pelt, pouncing high into the air.

The poor kidnapper never stood a chance as Sai landed on him solidly, swiping sharp claws across his chest. Sakura took the opportunity to roll away while he was knocked down and indisposed, going for Ino. She was unconscious and slumped against the counter. Clearly she had been abandoned the minute they found out she was their real target.

The reinforcements stood in her way, preventing her from reaching Ino. "Get out of my way!"

"You're just one against all of us. Give yourself over."

"I said get out of my… _way_!" Sakura grabbed a nearby mannequin and swung it into the thug as hard as she could. Her rage sent him flying across the store into a perfume counter.

"What the fuck? This one's strong! Just put her in the bubble already."

Another strange ball was taken off a utility belt and tossed at her. Sakura tried to dodge, but the constricting sphere enclosed around her entirely. She beat her fist against the surface.

"Knock all you want, it ain't gonna cra—"

Sakura's eyes widened as she watched Sai charge right into the men, grabbing one by the arm with his teeth and throwing him across the floor. He rounded on the others, standing squarely between her bubble prison and the strange group.

"That's gotta be her Summon. Persistent little shit."

They raised the hefty gun-like weapons from their backs, and for a reason she couldn't explain, terror gripped Sakura at the thought of them firing on Sai.

"No!" she beat desperately. "Sai, quit being stupid and run! You're outnumbered, and I can't help yo—"

The jaguar turned to her and the screams died on her lips. He was resolutely defending her, for reasons of his, and she was telling him to run. Quietly, she pressed her palms flat against the surface of the bubble, her lips in a thin line. _'I…I_ can _help you, can't I?'_ If Summoners and their Summons were tied by a bond, and if that bond allowed them to work in sync…

Sakura closed her eyes and concentrated, pushing against the bubble with her magic, willing it to reach Sai. He didn't take his eyes off the goons, but his tail swayed calmly, as if he could sense her efforts.

"What's she doing?" one of them screeched. "Knock it off in there!"

"I dunno, but shoot that damn shifter before she finishes!"

The sound of a plasma gun loading caused a twinge in her stomach, but Sakura was determined to help Sai. The sound the guns made as they fired in unison spurred her to open her eyes.

Sai was easily dodging the blasts, white runes glowing over his dark fur. One shot had even ricocheted off her bubble and hit someone square in the chest. He crumpled to the ground, unmoving. Sai swatted the gun of another attacker from his hands as he took aim, and the man screamed as blood spurted everywhere and his thumb fell to the ground.

Sakura cheered as Sai ran and pounced on the back of the last man who was trying to flee, but her excitement faded when she realized he was going for the throat.

Sakura pounded against the bubble prison. Frustrated when it didn't break, she channeled all of her energy into a solid punch and grinned with satisfaction as it started to crack. Kicking her way free, Sakura ran to the shifter, noticing Ino was starting to come to and the man Sai had injured was uselessly trying to reattach his severed thumb.

"Stop!" She managed to land on the shifter's back just as his teeth were enclosing around his whimpering victim's throat. Sakura smacked his back. "Sai, you did enough! Stop!" He turned to her, snarling dangerously, and she recoiled. It was almost like…something else had possessed him. She had known he was dangerous, but aside from being odd, it never occurred to her that she might get hurt.

Sakura held up her hands non-threateningly.

"It's…it's me." she smiled nervously. "Sai, it's me…" Slowly, her hand shaking, she reached for his muzzle, even as he continued to bare his teeth at her in a snarl. His nose twitched and she felt the cool leather of it touch her hand.

The fae allowed the shifter to sniff the length of her arm at his leisure, until he sat back on his haunches, the feral gleam finally leaving his eyes. Sakura placed a hand over her rapidly thumping heart, sighing in relief when Sai shifted back into his human form. The rune marks vanished gradually, Sakura looking down to realize she had matching markings up the length of both her arms that were fading at the same rate.

Blinking at her with curiosity, Sai glanced around at the dead or incapacitated agents. Sniffing the air, his nose wrinkled. "Why does he smell like urine?" he asked, pointing at the man he had been close to killing.

Sakura hid her own confusion, smiling cautiously. "Um, that's sort of your fault."

"…I urinated on him?"

"No," Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. Sai was at least back to his clueless self.

"Police! This is the police!" Sakura glanced behind her to see the authorities had finally run in, weapons drawn and looking for threats. "Everyone please remain calm and put your hands where we can see them. We'll be apprehending these—" The squad leader had been speaking through a horn, but when he saw the carnage surrounding the shopping counter, he lowered it.

"Who…who did all this?"

The three teenagers stared at each other. Ino and Sakura slowly raised their hands, and the pinkette lifted Sai's too. "You know, it took you long enough!" Ino glared.

"Well ma'am, these suspects didn't act alone, so we've been busy dealing with—"

"We could've all been dead!" the blonde ranted. Silently, Sakura had to agree.

Clearly embarrassed, the officer cleared his throat. "You seem to have it well in hand…"

"That's not the point!" Ino yelled. "This has been the worst shopping experience of my life. Those creeps trashed the store and I'm _traumatized_. I wouldn't be surprise if this whole thing made me break out! Do you know the last time I had a zit was?!"

"Um…Ma'am I…I…" Anyone could see the officer was clearly fumbling for a way out.

"If you'll come this way," said a female officer, intervening, "We'd just like to get eye-witness statements from all of you."

Sakura glanced at Ino. She was still looking put out, but nodded subtly in agreement. The girls helped each other to their feet, Sai standing without any assistance.

Sakura glanced at the two centaurs who were also being questioned, and the frightened shoppers who were slowly coming out of hiding.

' _All that shopping…and we never finished buying Sai's clothes.'_ To Sakura, _that_ was the biggest travesty of the afternoon.

* * *

Tsunade laid on the horn and didn't take her palm off it until the skittish driver she'd been blowing at changed lanes. The blonde witch was on the warpath ever since picking them all up from the mall. "Absolutely insane!" she grumbled. "What's the world coming to? Kids can't even go out and shop anymore without being caught in some terrorist attack?!"

That was what the radio stations and news networks were calling it. A criminal group had blown their way into the mall, rounded up certain people and hauled them off. There were a total of five people missing and Sakura shuddered to think she could've been the sixth.

"What I don't get is what they even wanted." Ino voiced. "They tried to take Sakura for a hostage so obviously it wasn't a steal-the-prettiest-girl-in-the-store thing or they would've grabbed me."

Sakura socked her friend hard in the arm. "Ouch! Watch where you swing those meaty paws." Ino rolled up her sleeve and examined the spot. "That's gonna leave a bruise, gorilla girl!"

"All jokes aside," Tsunade glanced at Sakura in the rearview mirror. "That was almost too close. And this talk about them knowing you had Summoning magic strikes me as suspicious…" She drummed impatiently on the steering wheel as they waited for the pedestrians at the crosswalk to make their way to the other side of the street. "As much as I hate to admit it…you may have been fortunate Sai was there."

"Oh yeah!" Ino yelped, making Sakura jump. "They knocked me out, so I missed a lot of it, but what _was_ that back there? You both had this…aura Like magical alignment or…"

"Actually, Ino," Sakura began, stroking one ear nervously. "I…I guess I should go ahead and tell you."

"Er, about what?"

"Sai's not just some friend from out of town. He's my…my…" As much as she wanted to say it, Sakura felt like the words were almost physically clogged in her throat.

"Spit it out!" Ino urged. "You'd better not say boyfriend though!"

"What? No! It's not like that…Sai's my…well he's my Summon."

"Oh, is that it?" Ino laughed brightly. "Thought you were gonna say something ridiculous!"

To say Sakura was surprised by her friend's behavior was an understatement. "So you're not gonna fly off the handle or anything like that?" she asked cautiously.

"Are you kidding? Of course I am!" She grabbed both of Sakura's cheeks and twisted. "The last time I saw you, you were complaining about it, now you've gotta hot Summon and didn't even tell me, huh?! Is that all our friendship means to you, Forehead?"

"Sai, a wittle hwalp…" To her annoyance, the were-jaguar watched Ino tug at her face in curiosity.

"I apologize but…it's harder to take you seriously when you sound like that."

There was a certain amusement in his eyes that felt almost like mutiny. "Aw wu waughing aa mwe?!"

"That would be inappropriate, so no."

Managing to smack her friend's hands away, Sakura rubbed healing magic into her red, aching cheeks. "You both suck."

"You know what really sucks? That I can't drink and drive. If there was ever a time to need a good cup of sake…" Tsunade grumbled from the driver's seat. "Who's it hurting?"

"You, for one thing." Sakura glared.

"Us." Ino added.

"Alcohol also impairs a person's senses, making you more likely to behave recklessly." Sai stated. "I have used it many times with targets to slow their motor skills and—"

"Shut up," Tsunade snarled. "I can take it from the girls, but you're one wrong move away from me throwing you out of the house."

"I can't be separated from my mas—"

"We get it Sai," the pinkette groaned, her head falling against the back of her seat tiredly.

"What does he mean by targets?" Ino asked, making air quotes around the word.

Sakura yawned, rubbing at the back of her neck. "I promise you don't wanna know…"

"Right…" For the first time, Ino looked uncomfortable with Sai's presence. "So when are you going to spill? This didn't just happen overnight for no reason." Ino demanded, poking her arm roughly.

"You're right. I didn't even _know_ this idiot before yesterday."

"Then how—"

"Long, long story…" Sakura let her eyes drift shut, feeling worn out. She felt Ino shift restlessly beside her.

Ino huffed. "Sounds like I'm sleeping over tonight." she declared. Sakura didn't even bother protesting. Ino was her best friend, and the sooner she caught her up to speed on the situation, the more peaceful her life would be. Not to mention, she would need all the extra support she could get, and the firmness in her voice told Sakura it wasn't up for debate.

"Sure," Sakura slurred lazily. "Just lemme…" She never knew if she had finished voicing her thoughts, the car quickly leaving city limits.

* * *

Gaara surveyed the dingy motel he had managed to find. He'd been smuggled out of the kingdom with a final farewell from his family and enough money for at least a week or more. The world outside his desert home was fast-paced and full of greed, desperation and more diversity than he had ever imagined.

At times, when his mind refused to rest, it was overwhelming. Those were the moments when he felt most susceptible. His alter ego could take over and all the sacrifices that had saved him from death would be in vain.

The tanuki made sure the hoodie concealed him as he trudged through the battered door of the small roadside in, and up to the receptionist desk. It had started to sprinkle rain, just as he'd arrived on the back of the truck that had carried him across Kusagakure's borders. Outside, he could hear the patter of the drops hitting the building, and idly wondered how it would withstand a downpour. In his home, they rarely saw heavy rain.

"One room." he grunted, fishing into his pants pocket and throwing a wad of bills on the counter. The satyress that had been reading what looked like a novel depicting a half-naked man clutching at an equally bare-topped siren, quickly threw the book aside, a rose hue hitting her cheeks in the dim light.

"Um…" Her wide eyes traveled from the crumpled money on the counter to his face, still mostly obscured by his hood.

"Is that not enough?" Gaara silently cursed her. Why couldn't she just take the damn money and give him his room? Although he had disguised himself before even hopping off the truck, the longer he spent out in the open, his inner beast seething, the higher risk that something could happen and reveal his secret. To his kingdom, and by now probably the entire world, he was supposedly dead, executed after killing his own father. And while his darker mind wouldn't have minded thrusting a clawed hand through his father's chest, he couldn't take credit for what he hadn't done.

She turned and hurried away from him, her hooves clopping against the wooden floor as she rummaged through a desk drawer. When she returned, she dipped her honey blonde head politely, smiling as she held out a card key. "Our motel is small, but cozy. You're on the second floor in one-twelve B. W-Would you like us to bring dinner up to you?"

A sharp pain suddenly throbbed through his head, and one hand reached up to clutch at it, a small hiss escaping him.

' **Sweet…she smells sweet. But…I bet her blood would be sweeter.'**

"F-Fuck…" Gaara growled. It was getting worse, restless after a long trip, wanting to come out and wreak havoc.

"Sir?" she asked timidly. "Is something wrong? Would you like some pain medication? We offer a natural remedy guaranteed to cure headach—"

Fighting for control, Gaara snatched the card away from her. "No." he snapped, hurrying back outside.

In seconds, his clothes were soaked, clinging to him heavily. But, it was refreshing. It felt so good he could almost laugh in relief. At least for the moment, the rain was a distraction that had helped clear his mind. He leaned against the side of the motel, clutching at his chest and wheezing, waiting for the racing blood in his veins to settle.

Each time, the monster lurking below the surface clawed its way further up. And each time, reigning it in became more difficult. Gaara knew without a doubt that soon, the day would come when he truly did lose control. Without a Summoner, it was an inevitably. And no one would ever take him on as a Summon, prince or not. So before the day when he lost the last shreds of his sanity, he was determined to ensure things ended on his own terms.

By the time he had caught his breath, Gaara noted that his mind had grown still again. There wasn't even the faint buzz he usually heard. It just meant the damn thing was plotting. At least for the meantime, though, he could take the reprieve. Climbing the rusting thin metal stairs, he found his room, swiping the card and letting himself into the small, musty space just before his legs could give out.

Except for the faint smell of tobacco clinging to the sheets, they smelled relatively clean and Gaara found himself sprawled across them, barely having the presence of mind to take off his boots. The tanuki stretched his joints, satisfied as they popped. Slowly rolling himself onto his stomach, he lifted himself enough to start working his way out of the wet hoodie, and the shirt underneath shortly after. The disguise dropped, blood red hair coming into view.

A bolt of lightning outside illuminated his pale skin, and he placed a hand over his abdominal muscles, deep in thought. Despite constantly telling himself he was the one in control, and the darkness inside was the unwanted resident, sometimes it felt like he was just a pelt it was wearing, just a skin.

Gaara got up and paced, gritting his teeth as he inspected the relatively tidy room. It would do fine. He wouldn't even be sleeping, after all. All he planned to do was sit up and meditate. He would move on the next morning, wandering until he found somewhere suitable enough to be his last stop.

That was what he was destined to, and he had embraced it a long time ago.

* * *

Sakura looked behind her to see Sai trailing her persistently. "I already told you no!"

"I don't understand…you keep me at arm's length, even though I'm your Summon. But, your friend is allowed to share a room with you."

"Ino is a girl!" Sakura flailed her arms. "And she's never done anything creepy, like staring at me while I sleep like some psycho."

"P-Psycho?" Sai repeated.

"It means a crazy—never mind. Just take this and leave me alone." She handed him a container of shrimp fried rice. There were only a handful of restaurants willing to deliver as far as to their house, and it was only because Tsunade was such a faithful customer.

Sakura hustled around the kitchen, making sure she had enough paper plates and then going into the fridge for drinks. When she turned around, Sai was sitting at the kitchen table, carton of rice in front of him, clumsily attempting to hold the chopsticks correctly. He was so concentrated, it was almost a little…cute?

No, she shook her head stubbornly, far from cute! Just…just slightly less obnoxious than usual. Tsunade came into the room, talking on the phone. "We're all fine here, Shizune." she was saying. "I got Sakura and Ino…and that creepy little alien and we're sitting down to dinner." There was a pause while Shizune responded. "Takeout. Are you kidding? I'm supposed to slave over a hot stove after the day I had?" Tsunade snorted. "Yes, I know technically that the tsukomogami and Sakura do most of the cooking. You don't have to rub that in." Shizune's faint laughter reached Sakura's ears.

" _Goodnight_ , Shizune." Tsunade pulled the phone away from her ear, scowling at it. "Oh," she put it back to her ear as her phone hovered over the button to end the call. "Don't forget that stopping my work to go get the kids today put us behind. And guess who's gonna have to keep me on the straight and narrow tomorrow…" Tsunade allowed it to sink in. "Yep, that's right~" Shizune's long-suffering wail drifted over the line, and Sakura could swear she heard Genma consoling her.

Tsunade hung up the phone, a smug expression on her face. "Brat…you really thought you'd get the last laugh? Ha!"

"That was pretty cruel," Sakura sighed, opening the boxes of takeout and beginning to fix a plate. "She just worries. It's not like you can blame her."

"Eh. Just hand me some of that lo mein would ya?"

Sakura rolled her eyes as she made up a plate of lo mein and sesame chicken for her godmother. "Thanks. You know what would really wash this down?"

"A nice cold glass of fresh-squeezed cloudberry juice? Because that's what you're having." Sakura sat a glass of the murky orange juice in front of a disappointed Tsunade, turning back to supervise Sai as he attempted to pcik up some rice from the carton with his chopsticks. He ended up dropping some on the table instead.

"Here, let me…" Sakura shook her head. "You're just making a mess." She guided his hand, helping him pick up the rice again and put it on the plate in front of him. "Like this, see?"

"Geez kid, could you be anymore inept?" Tsunade asked rhetorically. "Shouldn't you be able to do that, at least?"

"No one's ever shown me before now." Sai said neutrally. "Thank you," he nodded at Sakura, helping himself to more food.

Tsunade looked at Sakura questioningly, but she shrugged.

Ino chose that moment to come down the stairs from her shower, twirling with a flourish in her borrowed night shirt and shorts. "Sakura, we gotta talk about how tight these shirts of yours are. They get smaller every time I come."

Sakura began fixing herself some rice. "It's not the shirts, Ino. It's your…" she flushed, half embarrassed and half envious.

Tsunade said she'd be a late bloomer, but Sakura doubted it.

"You're just in the Big Girls club, if you know what I mean." Tsunade chuckled, slurping down her noodles.

Ino poked at her chest with a sigh. "I just thought Sakura would've caught up by now…"

Sakura spun around so fast she almost dropped her plate. "Ino!" she screeched.

Tsunade and Ino shared a laugh at her expense, Sai watching the exchange in confusion why Sakura preoccupied herself with eating to ignore them.

"Can't you two even have a meal without being perverts?" she mumbled quietly.

"Oh Sakura," Ino tisked. "You'll get it one day…"

"Shut. Up. Ino."

Sakura shot Sai a warning look, in case the overgrown cat decided it was a topic on which he'd like to offer his opinion. Luckily, Sai seemed too enamored with the discovery of shrimp fried rice to pay them any attention. _'Right. Jungle cat meets shellfish.'_ Sakura wasn't complaining. It was good rice. And, she guessed he'd earned it. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, whatever the magical connection she'd experienced in the heat of the moment was, it had probably been the only thing between her and getting kidnapped. _'I'll try to be a little nicer to him…for now.'_

But if she woke up and found him lurking over her bed again, all bets would be off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note that the Gaara presented here is essentially pre-Naruto (as in their meeting) and post traumatic childhood but with slightly more passive aggressiveness than outright assassination attempts. His father bullied him but didn't try to have him executed so he wanes between homicidal fiend and loner who is secretly touch starved but very wary for now. Sakura, come work your magic on the poor boy! xD


	6. Finding Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura just wishes life would return to normal. But is that even possible anymore? A trip to Chiyo's for more clarity turns up an unwanted answer: don't hold your breath. Especially not when an excitable kitsune comes bouncing into the picture.

Sakura groggily opened her eyes, well aware of the arm thrown across her face that didn't belong to her. "Ino…can't you even stay on your side of the bed?" Ino mumbled something incoherent in her sleep, sighing deeply before starting to quietly snore. Sakura moved Ino's arm and, the leg carelessly thrown across her stomach, to sit up. The minute she slipped out of the covers, Ino snuggled down in them.

The pinkette scoffed, shuffling across the room and unlocking her door. Even if she had told Sai to stay put, there was no guarantee that he would, and she didn't want a repeat of what had happened the last time.

She quietly made her way to the room Sai was staying in and knocked. "Sai? Are you up?" The door opened so fast she couldn't help but jump.

"What the—Were you waiting on me to come check on you or something?" Sakura meant for it to be sarcastic, but Sai lifted his shoulders in a lazy shrug.

"Do you want to come in?" he asked.

She studied the shifter's face suspiciously, but there was nothing that told her he had other motives, so she walked into Shizune's room and perched in a chair. Sai perched himself on the bed, and she noticed the sheets barely looked disturbed.

Smacking her forehead, the fae took a deep breath in and exhaled. "Okay listen, yesterday was insane. I've been reading up on the bond between Summons and Summoners before I went to bed, and I think what happened was called Resonance. When our magic syncs up perfectly, we're both much stronger for a while, basically. I don't really get what triggered it yesterday though. Apparently there's normally some training involved. We might have just gotten lucky." Sakura blushed when she realized she'd said it all in one breath.

"Resonance." Sai tested the word. "I never experienced anything like that before. That's likely because the last partnership I had was forced, so our magical bond wasn't truly compatible."

"About that," Sakura fidgeted with the string of her pajama shorts. "Uh, I know you don't remember much before your Compeller, but…how'd you end up in the woods outside? How'd you _find_ me?"

"I already told you that I was dying." Sai explained. "Magical bonds as powerful as the ones between Summon and Summoner aren't meant to be forced. It puts an incredible amount of strain on both parties but, especially on the Summon. My magical core was being drained the longer I was in servitude to my old master. I remember being told that my magic would get unstable when I got older without a Summoner; my master told me that's why I should be grateful I was with him. I accepted that and served him loyally."

"And when you got away…you realized how bad you needed a true bond with a Summoner." Sakura mused. "Okay, but how does that lead you to me? I mean I hadn't even taken the test or anything yet."

"Even if someone is unsure about their status as a Summoner, a Summon seeking a master usually knows. I was told that we are designed that way. I roamed for a while, and found this forest. I realized that you had Summoning magic."

Hearing about how Sai had tracked her down and forced her into a contract didn't make her any less anxious. "I guess I get it…you were desperate. In your situation, maybe I would be too. But it's still not really something I'd choose if I could do it again." Sakura looked down at the wrist Sai had scratched.

"I understand I don't make the ideal Summon. There are many things I don't know about...bonds. I'm not sure if I serve you because I want to, or because my magic tells me I should."

Sakura smiled wearily. "That's fine. I'm not sure I trust you either. But…yesterday, you saved me. It doesn't matter why right now, I'm just glad you were there, so thanks."

Sai's eyes widened and he sat straighter. "I…you're thanking me?"

Sakura laughed at his expression. "Why's that so weird?"

The Summon dipped his dark head, his cheeks slightly pink. "No one's ever thanked me."

Sakura mentally catalogued it as another moment Sai had shown her a surprisingly endearing side.

* * *

Gaara stared at the article that took up a considerable section of the newspaper he found. Terrorist attack at a Konoha mall. Twenty-five people were injured and five people were missing in the confusion, believed to have been kidnapped.

There were several suspects dead, and though it didn't mention names, what intrigued him was that three teenagers had fought off some of the terrorists and remained unscathed. One of them had almost been abducted, and considering that all five of the others who were taken were either Summoners or Summons, it made sense that she was likely one or the other.

' _Konoha…'_ he thought about it. He had been planning to drift around, and entering the Fire Kingdom wasn't really on his list of stops, but it sounded like, if that many Summoners had been taken from one place, than this city had an abundance. That was…promising. Gaara wasn't even sure if he wanted to bond with a Summoner, but at the very least he could go and investigate. The world thought Prince Gaara was dead, and as long as he kept his illusion up, people would be none the wiser.

Most of the Five Elemental Kingdoms were monarchies in name only. Only Suna and one other nation had actual royals. The rest had been elected democratically by the citizens for quite some time. No one would associate a tanuki being from Suna's royal family.

Gaara put the paper back on the bench where he'd found it and stood. The park was peaceful. Children were running across the cool grass and some people jogged the trail or fed ducks at the pond. The wisteria tree providing him with shade hummed quietly to itself. These were the kinds of places he couldn't linger in. He couldn't risk tainting the serenity around him.

Konoha was a large city, and big cities normally had an underbelly full of chaos and darkness. That was where he belonged. Where the beast inside his mind could revel and unleash itself on only those deserving. So that's where he would go.

* * *

Sakura had come down the stairs, feeling refreshed from her shower and ready to get back to her training with Tsunade. The debacle with coming into her Summoning magic had interfered with her hedge witch training. Sakura had vowed even before moving in with Tsunade to become a powerful witch, like her godmother. Her mother's disapproval wasn't going to stop her. Whenever she visited, Tsunade would teach her small spells and Sakura would go home to discreetly practice.

After moving out of her parents' home and into Tsunade's, she began her training in earnest, learning earth and healing spells, eagerly soaking in the blonde witch's centuries of wisdom. She was convinced that she would learn to make it without ever touching Summoning magic.

Enter Sai—the living, breathing embodiment of the end to that dream.

Sakura noticed Ino in the kitchen as she walked by, still in her borrowed clothes and collecting fruit from the bowl on the table. Sai was nowhere to be found. Sakura was equal parts relieved and confused.

She had half-expected to see him lingering outside the bathroom when she finished, which was why she had the presence of mind to take her change of clothes in with her. Sakura was ready for the day, dressed in a long sleeved yellow shirt under cherry red overalls. She'd put her pink hair into a loose plait, to keep it out of her face while she worked.

"Hey," she called to Ino, "Have you seen Tsunade?" Ino lifted her head, her cheeks stuffed with fruit and juice dribbling down her chin.

Sakura snorted. "That's a nice look for you." Ino squeaked angrily, but it only made her look funnier and Sakura began laughing. She watched as the fauna fae gulped down the strawberries she'd been eating and glared.

"She's in the parlor." Ino smirked, adding, "You'd better watch out. Something tells me you've got a really tough training session coming."

Sakura tried to ignore her friend, heading into the room where she expected to find Tsunade. Her mentor was there, hunched over her altar and already arranging crystals counter clockwise for a spell. The room was dark save for the candles lit, and it made Tsunade's stature seem imposing from behind.

Although she normally wouldn't interrupt in the middle of spellwork, she felt the need to announce herself. "Um, Tsunade," she cleared her throat quietly. "I—"

"Come in, Sakura," Tsunade commanded, not looking up. She took a handful of acorns and dropped them into her bowl, then started carefully dicing up a gnarled piece of root. Sakura wasn't positive, but she thought it could have been mandrake. She stepped closer, the warmth of the magic in the room surrounding her. "I'm just finishing up a few spells I'm behind on."

Sakura nodded, aware Tsunade couldn't see her. "Sorry, I just thought…" she paused, gathering her courage. "I wanted to go back into town today if it's alright with you…to see Chiyo-obaa."

Tsunade immediately lifted her head, confused. "Why?"

Sakura rubbed her neck. "Well she specializes in divination. Maybe if I knew what was coming I'd be a little less restless? I mean yesterday was pretty intense. I couldn't stop thinking that what happened, in broad daylight, wasn't a coincidence. I mean all the other people that disappeared—"

"I know," Tsunade walked over, bringing her into a motherly hug. Sakura hadn't even realized she was shaking until she felt the safe arms grounding her. "That's exactly why I'm worried about you going off on your own. You're a brand new Summoner that's not even sure if you can trust your Summon."

Sakura shrugged helplessly. She couldn't deny it, but for right now, Sai was her Summon. "Have you seen him?"

"He was outside the last I checked." Sakura slowly backed out of Tsunade's arms, wiping at her eyes quickly.

"Alright."

"Sakura,"

"Yes?" Tsunade looked like she was debating before she went to her shelf and pulled down a familiar box, one Sakura had seen days ago. "That's from Chiyo-baa's…" The blonde began offering it to her, and Sakura looked down in confusion.

"Open it," she instructed.

Hesitantly, she popped the lid, pulling out a device that could have been a watch, except for the fact that instead of a face, it was fitted with a smooth multi-colored stone.

"Isn't this a bloodstone?" she breathed. In her studies, she had learned all about the different properties of stones both for the mundane and for spells.

"I thought long and hard about what kind you'd need. Well, this is yours. It's an Evoker, Sakura."

Understanding dawned, and Sakura felt her hand clench around the watch-like device. The Evoker.

"When did you have this made? I didn't even have a Summon until a few days ago!" Her mind reeled with the thought that Tsunade would do something like this behind her back, knowing how she felt about becoming a Summoner in the first place.

To her credit, the blonde did look guilty as she closed her eyes, her full lips pursed. She turned away, continuing to put ingredients on the altar. "It's not something I got to pressure you. But let's be honest Sakura, we both knew sooner or later, it would come to this. An Evoker helps Summoner and Summon. You'll need it. I just wanted to be prepared."

Sakura bit her lip to keep from blurting out her hurt. It made sense. Her magic had been slowly becoming more painful, minor pains at first, lingering headaches and dizzy spells and once even fainting, which she had told Tsunade was from concentrating on the spell she'd been performing too hard. "How do I even use it?"

"Put it on your wrist, wear it as much as possible. Anytime you use Summoning magic from now on, it helps regulate you the way Sai's Limiter regulates him. You can use it to locate your Summon, since it's sensitive to the link you share." Sakura strapped it around her left wrist, looking at the sharp green and dulcet mahogany in the stone. Almost immediately, it began to glow, and Sakura felt a coolness flood her veins. She could feel Sai like a second pulse, and how close he was.

"It does more than that, but you know, I think you'll have to read up on the rest. I'm only versed in the most basics."

Sakura let her tense shoulders relax. "Thank you. I know you're trying to protect me."

Tsunade watched her leave the room, smiling sadly. ' _You really shouldn't thank me. I try but I'm not sure I can protect you, Sakura.'_

_xoXoXoXox_

Sakura walked out into the warm April air to find Sai, clad in one of his new crops tops and dark skinny jeans, crouched on the ground, observing Tsunade's herb garden. His head lifted before she even got close, and when he saw her, he turned back to the plants he was studying.

"Your mentor…she's a witch, isn't she? And she uses these for spells?" Sakura stood beside him, peering down to the mugwort he was motioning to.

"Spell ingredients are always better fresh if it's possible."

"Are you a witch too?"

"Not by birth, no." she admitted, bending to crouch next to him. "But I've been studying for a few years now and Tsunade says I'm doing well with my training."

Sai's eyes turned from the plants to her, and there was clear curiosity there. "You wanted to be a witch but not a Summoner? I don't understand…I was taught by my former master that those who had the potential for great power would always take it."

Sakura's lips twisted in displeasure, remembering all the jeers she'd endured over the years. "Maybe that's how _some_ people see it. But I don't think taking up Summoning is something people should do because it's rare or powerful or because you can be a celebrity. Summons are more than living tools, you know."

"Your way of thinking is very different then what I'm used to." Sai shifted uncomfortably.

"Different isn't bad," Sakura insisted, getting back on her feet. "If you're gonna be around until we can get ourselves unstuck from this, you're going to have to get use to the way I do things."

Sai nodded dutifully, standing too. "I understand. A good Summon is adaptable."

"And stop seeing yourself as _just_ my Summon. The book says that we should be more like…partners." Sakura slowly let the word fall from her lips. "Maybe that'll be hard without actual trust or friendship, but it doesn't have to be like what you were used to before, either."

"Partners…" Sai rubbed at the back of his head. "I don't think…I understand."

The pinkette put her hands on her hips. "Yeah. It figures." she rolled her eyes. "We'll table that for later. I'm going back into town, to see someone."

"I'll join you." he said quickly.

Sakura frowned. It wasn't unexpected. Sai stuck to her like being physically close was what he needed to function. Showing her face at Chiyo's with a Summon in tow less than a week after declaring that she wanted nothing to do with Summoning, was a little hard to swallow. She had her pride, after all.

"Fine," she relented. "Just try to be a little low-key, alright?"

"Low-key." he agreed with a strange-looking smile.

"What's that?" Sakura guffawed.

Sai blinked. "I've been practicing. Smiling is a way to put someone at ease."

"Not _that_ smile!" she shook her head. "Needs more work..."

* * *

Sakura steeled herself as she stepped through Chiyo's door with Sai at her back. She expected to find the old woman in the front of the shop, putting on her usual act, but instead, Sasori waited behind the counter, looking like he wanted to be anywhere else.

Her breath caught in her throat, and Sai must have sensed her tension, because he crowded in closer. "Is there a threat?" he whispered, glancing around.

"No," Sakura shook her head. "Everything's fine…it's just…I expected—"

"Back again pretty soon, aren't you?" Sasori smirked, hopping over the counter.

"Could you just tell your grandmother I need to see her?" Sakura snapped. "It's important and I don't feel like playing games today."

Sasori eyed Sai, then tilted his head at her. "Sorry, but she's actually giving readings right now. It's tourist season. You'll have to take a number. But in the meantime," his eyes lit up mischievously. "I think I have some time for you to entertain me,"

"We're here on business. Please stop bothering my master with trivial conversation." Sai smiled. "Who is this tengu?" he leaned in to ask, "His nose isn't as big as I'd expect it to be."

Sasori narrowed his eyes lazily. "What's with that guy? I knew your taste was bad but I thought it'd be better than that."

Sakura, rubbing her temple, quickly decided to mediate. "Sai, this is Sasori. His nose might not be big, but his ego is. And Sasori, this is Sai."

"What did he just call you?" Sasori's eyes drifted to the Evoker strapped to her wrist, and his expression went from petulant to positively gloating. "I see now. Despite all that righteous blather you spouted, you went and formed a contract with the first yokai you could find who'd have you." Sasori goaded.

Sakura's fists clenched. She knew he was right and she looked like a hypocrite. Straightening herself to her less than impressive height, she got chest to chest with the tengu. "I don't need to explain anything to you. Sai, let's go. We'll come back when Chiyo-obaa is around." Sai gave Sasori a wary look, backing down reluctantly.

Sakura turned her back on the tengu with Sai right beside her. She wasn't so desperate for Chiyo's advice that she was willing to stand there and be berated for something that wasn't even her fault.

"Heh. If you were going to cave and get a Summon, you could have asked me." Sasori called, "I might have thought about taking pity on you." The thought of working with such a difficult partner left a sour taste in her mouth. Sasori would have never accepted her as being the one in charge. Sai, for all his faults, was at least loyal so far.

Sakura found herself turned so abruptly Sai almost ran into her. "I'd rather have an emotionally stunted idiot like Sai than some pity contract with someone like you."

Sasori sweatdropped. "What? Did you just insult your own partner?"

"You have no right to look down on her." Sakura looked at her Summon in surprise. "I had heard tengu are fickle and jealous creatures, and this one is clearly trying to pick a fight. Hmm…how would you like me to handle this?"

"You can leave that to me!" Chiyo suddenly appeared, brandishing a broom and delivering a solid whack over Sasori's head. "That's for being rude to my favorite customer."

Sasori scowled, picking a broom straw from his hair. "Damn you, old woman…" he muttered.

"Um…" Sakura's eyes widened at the girl who came trailing from Chiyo's office. "Thanks for the reading. I don't have to tip or anything, do I?"

The short purple hair and brown eyes were a dead giveaway. "Ami…" she whispered.

" _Why are you crying Sakura-chan? Did you really think we wanted to be friends with a freak like you?"_

Ami was just like Sakura remembered her. Stylish in a pink tube top and sequined jean shorts, designer sandals that probably cost more than her own savings on her feet and white aviator sunglasses resting atop her head. Sakura watched as her childhood bully pulled out a tube of lipstick from her purse and a compact mirror, reapplying a plum shade of lipstick and then nonchalantly walking over to examine some of the things Chiyo sold in the front room. So far, it didn't look like she'd noticed who was standing behind her, something Sakura was grateful for.

"How much are these?" Ami snatched up a pack of tarot cards and waved them at Sasori. "Maybe I'll open up my own shop and sell people loads of crock, too."

"Careful," Chiyo warned, putting down her broom and glancing at Ami. "My readings are not to be taken lightly. Be prepared for misfortune in the future, should you choose to ignore my advice."

"It's a thousand ryo." Sasori gruffed.

Ami stepped back and smirked at him, putting all her weight on one hip and leaning forward. "You're pretty cute. I'll be in town for a while. Mind if I come back later and—"

"How do you feel about art? Do you think it's beautiful when it lasts forever?"

"What?" Ami asked, disgruntled. "We were talking about a date, not—"

"Answer the question and I'll answer yours." Sasori pressed, leaning against the counter in boredom.

"Well, I like classic paintings, but I don't really like old things. They get musty and worn down. Things are less beautiful when they age, right?" Sakura glared as Ami looked in Chiyo's direction.

"Not interested." Sasori laughed.

"Huh?"

"You heard me. Your opinion on art…it's ignorant. I'm not interested."

Ami turned away, silently fuming as her cheeks colored red.

"A hasty proposal will be met with rejection." Chiyo quipped. "That was one of my predictions, if you'll remember."

"Mhm…" Ami paid for the tarot cards and stuffed her change and purchase into her bag. "I'm not really sure I believe in divining, but it's a cute souvenir."

Sakura froze as Ami's brown eyes finally fell on her. She had been content to silently watch the exchange and scoot herself out of Ami's line of sight.

Ami was at first confused, and then a wide grin plastered her plum-colored lips. "Sakura? Little Haruno Sakura?" Sakura tried to back away but Ami rushed forward and grabbed her in a hug, forcing Sakura to breathe in the scent of her overbearing perfume.

"It's been so long! I haven't seen you in what, four years? Is there where you moved?" she glanced around the shop. "Lots of odd places around this city, so I guess that suits you pretty well, doesn't it. You were always a little unusual yourself. But I see you've finally grown into that forehead a bit. Good for you~! Oh, who's this?" she glanced up at Sai, once again putting on a flirtatious smile.

"Sai," Sai introduced, plastering on another superficial smile. Ami didn't seem to notice as she attempted to shake his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Sai~ I'm Watabami Ami. I'm one of Sakura's classmates from way back, you know."

Sakura rolled her eyes at that. More like one of her biggest bullies. Ami had made it a point throughout their time in school together to make sure Sakura understood her place in the hierarchy. Taunts about her looks, spreading rumors that Sakura was using her Summoning magic potential to get popularity, and shoving at her when the teacher's weren't looking had all been regular interactions.

The jaguar stared at Ami's outstretched manicured hand in scrutiny.

"What?" Ami laughed awkwardly. "Not going to shake my hand?"

"Many people say beauty comes from within…in which case, you wouldn't be very attractive. But you're passable looking on the outside, so if you rely solely on that, I think your odds are much better." Sai gave Ami what was meant to be an encouraging thumbs up. The purple-haired girl looked stunned.

Sakura's eyes widened as Ami slapped Sai in the face and shoved by him, out the front door. Whirling around with angry tears in her eyes, she shot Sakura a condescending look. "Keep your jerk boyfriend away from me!"

Sakura had to hold in her laughter. "Sai, why did you say that?"

"I saw a television show last night that was very informative." He explained with an assured nod. "It revealed that women with unflattering personalities are sometimes able to get by on looks…and money."

"Were you watching reality TV?" Sakura gaped.

"I believe that's what it was called, yes."

' _That's it. As soon as we get back, I'm taking the TV out of Shizune's room._ ' Who knew what elese he'd absorb if given the chance?

"All this fuss…women are such vain creatures," Sasori tisked.

"Says the guy that probably exfoliates every morning and does his eyelashes," Sakura scoffed.

Chiyo tugged at Sakura's arm and Sai stepped in front of Sasori just as he made a move into the pinkette's space.

"Sai, stay put. And _don't_ fight." The shifter looked ready to protest on both accounts. "I'll be back soon. Just, please…" she followed Chiyo willingly as the short old tengu guided her into the back.

"Whipped, are we?" she heard Sasori ask.

"My master has never beaten me." Sai's tone was equal parts perplexed and offended.

Chiyo closed the door on the rest of the conversation. "Tea, dear?" she offered, pouring herself a cup.

"I-I'm fine. I just…have some really important things to ask. Sorry for coming by unannounced, too."

"Never a problem. Always happy for some company," Chiyo smiled warmly, sitting herself at the low tbale in the middle of the small room. Sakura lowered herself onto the pillow across from her, sitting cross-legged.

"Uh, well, you probably noticed…this." She held her wrist out and the tengu leaned forward, her eyes gleaming as she took in the bloodstone.

"What a pretty gem…" a slightly crooked finger reached out, and Chiyo ran a bony finger over the stone's smooth surface, her eyes greedy.

Sakura pulled her wrist away uncomfortably.

"Where'd you get a pretty trinket like that? It's beautiful, but I think we both know it can't tell time."

"It's not a wristwatch, it's an E—"

"An Evoker, yes I know." Chiyo cackled. "Just a small joke, dearie. I'm the one who made sure the stone was properly fitted. I normally wouldn't do a favor for Tsunade, but, for you I—"

"So you _knew_!" Sakura confirmed. Without warning, her eyes started to prickle with wetness. "Everyone knew but me."

"Hush now, dear. You'll want to save those tears for some of the things ahead of you. But yes, I knew for some time that you would run head long into your destiny. I take it that peculiar young man out there is one of your Summons."

Sakura rocked in place, brushing a thick piece of hair behind her ear. "He's a were-jaguar and he's been with me for a few days, ever since—" Her words halted as Chiyo's expanded in her mind. "O-One of...my Summons?"

Chiyo took her hand, squeezing tightly with a sad smile. "I'm sorry dear. I can't tell you how your journey's meant to end, but it's bigger than either of us. The cogs have already been set in motion."

Sakura jerked her hand away, feeling scalded. "You're wrong." she insisted. "The book…the book said…"

"A Summoner powerful enough to form a contract with more than one Summon is rare, yes. So rare, that the last living one died some two centuries ago. But Sakura, my Divination Magic has never failed me. Mark my words, your friend is not the only one who you will tie yourself to. I heard the news and I trust you were mixed in that somehow."

"The mall? That was a coincidence," Sakura wasn't sure who she wanted to believe that more.

"You don't believe that." Chiyo said knowingly. "The others who have gone missing were Summoners and Summons. Something dark has come to us, Sakura. There may be a chance you'll have to face it."

Sakura lifted her wrist, studying the bloodstone. It was perfectly aligned to work with her magic. It strengthened healing spells, and gave the owner strength and courage to challenge adversity. Fitted into her Evoker, it also worked in conjunction with Sai's Limiter.

The weight of the Evoker on her wrist suddenly felt heavier, and she lowered it, hiding her wrist in her lap.

"What do I need to do?" she asked, voice small. "Can the cards at least tell you that?"

"Cards don't give details away." Chiyo sighed. "They only tell me as much as the gods allow, and your future is still unclear I'm afraid."

The idea to visit Chiyo for answers suddenly seemed like the worst one of her life. In hindsight, everything would have been better if she chose to stay in the dark.

* * *

After collecting Sai and leaving Chiyo's, Sakura decided what she needed was a way to clear her head. And nothing put her more at ease than her favorite snack. "This way, before they sell out!"

"What are we hurrying for?" Sai asked, sprinting next to her, "If one restaurant sells out of food, can we not just visit another?"

Sakura shook her head, the wind feeling good as it moved her hair. "I'll forgive you because you've never tried it, but once you have some anmitsu from the Sunspot Café, you'll understand."

"Food that brings new clarity...yes, I'd very much like to try it."

"Sai," Sakura couldn't help the long-suffering sigh from spilling past her lips. "I didn't mean...eek!" she tripped on someone's foot as they ran through a crowd. Flailing to catch herself, she was relieved when arms secured themselves around her waist, and she managed to find purchase by clutching a pair of broad shoulders.

"Thank you," she looked up into the face of stranger with startlingly blue eyes, and her heart stuttered in her throat.

"Careful," he grinned, setting her back on her feet. "That would have been a bad fall, ya know."

"I appreciate it." Sakura tried to get a good look at him without being too obvious. His blonde hair rose in sunny spikes that complimented the deep ocean shade of his eyes, and he had three thin lines stretched across each cheek. His jacket was such a vibrant shade of orange it made her do a double take.

"Wow..." he sighed. "Your eyes are really, really green."

"What?" Sakura wondered if she'd misheard or if the stranger was really checking her out too.

"I...I said..." he looked away bashfully. "Hey! You live here right? You think you could help me out? I'm from out of town. I'm trying to find some place for lunch, maybe a ramen stand or something, but I've been walking for like a whole hour and I haven't seen one yet." He looked down, rubbing his stomach pitifully.

Sakura thought he looked like the kind of person who was kind of hopeless. It could have just been the pleading face, but she found herself glancing at Sai, who was eyeing the blond cautiously.

"Actually, we were headed to lunch too. Most of the restaurants are on Hasegawa Blvd. If you want, I could show you the way,"

"Really?" He picked his drooped head up with a gasp. "You mean it?! You're the nicest person I've met here so far!" Sakura squeaked when he moved in for a hug, until Sai intercepted it, pushing him back by the forehead.

"Keep your distance. You don't have permission to be so close." Secretly, she didn't mind him being so protective this time. It was either that or get pounced on by some orange-clad tourist.

"Eh? Who're you? You smell..." the blonde sniffed deeply, eyes closed. "You smell like a cat! Yuck!"

Sakura sniffed. To her, Sai smelled like her favorite body wash—Sai was in her body wash?!—but not anything like cat.

"And you smell like fox." Sai returned. "A kitsune then?"

"What about it?" The strange boy frowned.

"You're a yokai. A strong one." Sai grabbed her by the elbow. "We should move on...for the anmitsu."

Sakura tried to tug away from him, confused. "I don't get it, stop pulling Sai!"

"I'm sure it's only out of coincidence that he asks you, a Summoner, for help." Sai clarified.

Sakura raised a brow. "Is that sarcasm? Wow you learned a lot from TV." she mused.

"You're a Summoner?" Clarity lit up the kitsune's blue eyes. "So that's the feeling I got..." he shook his head, snapping out of it, "Anyway, I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" He jabbed a thumb at himself.

"I'm Sakura. This is Sai. He's a little...protective."

"No kidding," Naruto glared. "I just needed some directions..."

Sakura started between the two boys. One pouting and the other looking displeased. "Sai, let's help Naruto out...and then we'll get anmitsu."

Sai didn't look any happier. "If that's what you want."


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter: Uzumaki Naruto! Sakura is already enjoying the company of the new friend she's made, Sai not so much. And while she may not have realized it, she's already put herself on Gaara's radar as he continues to struggle with the darkness in his mind.

It was a nice enough day that Sakura had insisted they eat outside on the café's back patio. Other guests chatted around them as they munched on sandwiches and salads, but the pinkette was partially in her own world, under the shade of the large table umbrella, enjoying her favorite dessert. She and Ino ate together at the restaurant whenever they had a lunch date.

It was a little odd, she thought wryly, to see Sai's black hair and pale complexion, as he bent his head to observe his dessert, instead of Ino's shining blonde hair and trendy clothes. Talkative Ino would have already been digging in, filling her in on all the latest gossip happening around the city at the same time.

Sakura watched Sai poke at the anmistu in front of him with a questioning look on his face. She took a bite of her own, and it felt like all her stress melted away. "You can poke it all day, but it's not going to do much besides wiggle a little, so you might as well eat up." She happily scooped up another spoonful, savoring the peach slice she bit into.

"This dessert jelly has such an odd texture." Sai muttered, hesitantly lifting the tip of the spoon to his mouth and tasting it. "And it's incredibly sweet."

"That's sort of the point," Sakura agreed, chewing. "But the way this café makes it is to die for, right? I mean it's my favorite!" she gushed.

Sai took another bite, his thoughtful expression never changing. "To die for? Besides providing needed nutritional value that sustains life, I don't see a reason to die for food…"

Sakura lowered her spoon, bottom lip jutting out in an annoyed pout. "Why do you take everything literally?"

"I told you, I don't understand the nuances of unstructured, every day interactions. Every order I was ever given before meeting you, was to be taken literally. It's what I grew accustomed to."

Sakura tapped her spoon to her tongue in thought, "Alright, fine. Then let's try something."

Sai studied her curiously. "Like what?"

"Knock, knock!"

"…" Sai glanced around. "Why did you just pretend to—"

"Damn it! Just say _who's there_ when I say 'knock knock' otherwise it won't work! Let's try again…knock, knock!"

"Who's there?" Sai repeated.

"Orange!" she grinned. "Now you need to say 'orange who?'"

"Orange who?"

"Orange you going to eat that?" she pointed her spoon at an orange slice sitting in Sai's anmitsu, a proud smile on her face.

Sai glanced down and picked it out with his fingers, offering it to her. "Here, you can have it."

Sakura's smile crumpled as she laid her head on the table. "No! Sai that was the punchline. It's funny because it's a pun, and also because you have an actual orange slice in your anmitsu! It's punny, and that makes it twice as funny, which means you were supposed to laugh!"

Sai lowered his arm. "So you…don't want the orange after all?"

Sakura glared, snatching it from his fingers and eating it. "So maybe I wanted it, but that's not even the point!"

"Ahaha…" Sai chuckled.

Sakura made a displeased face, going back to eating her own dessert. "Pity laughter after the fact is just rude."

Sai stopped faking his laugh, going back to quietly eating his anmitsu. Sakura studied her lightly freckled face and pink hair in the reflection of her spoon, mentally berating herself for actually saying something so ridiculous in public. That's what she got for trying one of her dad's jokes.

Sai being Sai, and the joke being so terrible, it was no surprise he hadn't laughed. Hell, when was the last time _she_ thought that joke was funny? She was probably no more than five, tops, and it was something her father would say to her when she made a fuss about not wanting to finish what was on her plate.

"Thank you…"

"Huh?" Sakura picked her head up, unsure she'd even heard.

"I said…thank you." Sai made a face as if the words were hard to form. "Several days ago when we met, you wanted nothing to do with me. Maybe even now you don't. Despite that, you always treat me as an equal. Even hitting me was reflexive and not malicious. I don't understand jokes, or so many of the other things you do, but you still bother to try teaching me."

Gratitude had been the last thing she was expecting, and she played with the ends of her plait, embarrassed. "I told you, remember? The book mentioned a Summon and a Summoner needing to be good parnters…"

"Is that what we are?" he asked quietly.

Sakura bit her lip, and then had another bite of anmitsu, to give herself time to formulate a response. "For now? Yeah, that's what we are."

"Then I'd like to prove myself a useful partner." he vowed.

Sakura glanced around, blushing as several other tables glanced in their direction curiously. "Could you not make those types of declarations in public? People get…the wrong idea."

"It seemed like the right time. I thought it would discourage that kitsune from coming over here." Sai explained nonchalantly.

Sakura turned around to see that Naruto, the tourist they had met, was stepping out the door of the restaurant, sniffing the breeze until his eyes landed on her. He was carrying a tray of food, but it didn't stop him from waving emphatically, almost tripping as he ran over to them.

Sai started to tense, looking like he was ready to shift right then and there. "Relax." Sakura kicked his shin under the table. "What's with you?"

"I don't trust yokai around you. Just because we have a contract it won't stop them from trying to coerce you into forming another one with them. And kitsune are mischievous."

"I heard that…"

Sakura craned her head as far back as possible, staring backwards at Naruto's face, upside down. "I dunno what your deal is, but I just wanted to thank Sakura-chan here for the help. Uh…can I call you that?" he asked sheepishly.

"No."

"Sure, I guess."

Naruto grin's stretched his whiskers as he took a seat at their table, unprompted.

"Uh, Naruto? I thought you were getting ramen?" Sakura asked, attempting to make small take.

Naruto cleared his throat, staring down at the sandwiches and chips on his tray almost guiltily. "I…I was. I love ramen and I heard there's a place around here that cooks it great! But I sort of heard you talking about this place when you walked away, and I thought maybe I could try something new…" He picked up a piece of his sandwich and took a large bite, chewing loudly. "It's not ramen, but not bad." Naruto then proceeded to wipe his mouth on the back of his hand, and Sakura leaned away with a weak smile.

"So, what do you want?" Sai demanded baldly. Sakura pinched his arm.

"So is this your first trip to Konoha?" she inquired more pleasantly. A random encounter though it may have been, Naruto seemed like a nice enough guy.

Mm-mm," he shook his head, "I was actually born here. But we moved when I was little, so I grew up in Uzushio, where my mom's from. I'm here with my folks for a while."

"Uzushio…" Sakura pondered. "Isn't that…the little island nation off the coast of the Lightning Kingdom? The one where they say every other person is a redhead?"

"That's the one!" Naruto confirmed. Sakura couldn't help but let her eyes stray to his spiky yellow hair. Eye-catching as it was, it was far from the famed red hair of Uzushio natives. "Ehe…" Naruto rubbed at the back of his neck. "I get my hair from my dad, ya know?"

"That's something we have in common then." Sakura savored the last of her anmitsu. If Sai didn't hurry and finish his, she'd be tempted to polish that off too.

"Really?" Naruto openly gaped. "N-No offense I just thought...it was dyed?"

"Nope," Sakura corrected, "All natural."

Naruto appraised Sai, pointing a chip at him. "What about him? Why's he so pasty?"

Sakura frowned. "Hey, don't you think that's—"

Sai held up a hand, his calm smile still present. "It's fine. Allow me to explain…in my previous work I often operated under the cover of night, and since spending more time outside during the daylight hours, I haven't had time to visit the tanning booths you seem to favor."

Naruto glanced down at his arm. "Tanning booth? The tan's natural, 'ttebayo!"

Sai looked puzzled. "Really…? On the commercial I saw last night, it said tanning booths were all the rage…"

"Yeah, maybe with _girls_ and jerky guys who flex too much. But I grew up on an island, dumbass, tanning's not hard!"

Sakura opened her mouth as the two continued to debate the merits of an artificial tan over a real one, a conversation she couldn't be bothered to join in. She had always been pale and tanning had never once crossed her mind. "You know what?" she stood up. "I'm gonna go for some more anmitsu…as long as you two are…okay here." Neither seemed to hear her.

Sakura shrugged, reentering the coolness of the air-conditioned establishment and getting in line behind a little boy who was begging a woman that could only be his mother to let him have dessert first.

"Not until you've at least eaten a sandwich, and that's final!" she scolded. "If you keep this up, there'll be no dessert at all."

Sakura couldn't help but smile to herself. It reminded her a little of her own relationship with her mother as a child, before it had all gone sour. Thinking about the past made where she had ended up seem even more surreal. There she was, sixteen and apprenticing to become a competent hedge witch one day, and the next, a Summoner.

It was too soon to say if having Sai would be a hindrance or a help. On the one hand, the dull headache she had been nursing for weeks had gone since forming a contract, and standing didn't make her vision blur. That was a sign that her magic truly was balancing out, thanks to some of it being siphoned to Sai. She dug around in her bag, finding her wallet.

Sai was weird, awkward and more than a little frustrating, but aside from selfishly deciding to become her Summon without consent, he hadn't done anything else unforgivable. _'It's only been three days,'_ the cynical voice in the back of her head uttered. _'Give it time and everything'll go to hell like it always does.'_

Sakura turned to look over her shoulder, glancing out at the restaurant's patio through the plexi-glass window. Naruto and Sai were still sitting at the table, arguing. If anything, it seemed more one-sided. Sai's expression was genuinely perplexed, while she could tell Naruto was fed up. In all fairness, Sai's obliviousness could sometimes have that effect.

A small tap on her shoulder made her jump, and she turned, smacking the offending hand away. "Miss Haruno?" Sakura eyed the stranger wildly, noticing his three piece suit, and the neat coifed style of his hair. "Sorry for startling you." He smiled thinly.

"What do you want?" she snapped impatiently, trying to maneuver around him. A few customers ahead of her in line were giving them glances.

"Please, I don't mean any harm. My name is Ebisu," he lowered his voice, "I work in the Civilian Affairs department of the Regulatory Council for Magical Management, in their downtown office." Sakura's blood ran cold. She immediately looked for the nearest exit. If she had to, she wasn't above making a scene. Sai would probably come running, and make an even bigger scene, but they'd get out.

"Miss Haruno? You seem a bit dazed." Ebisu frowned, his dark eyes unnervingly focused on her face. "Everything alright?"

' _No, asshole, of course not!'_ Sakura wiped her sweating palms against the front of her overalls and kept moving with the line, pretending to peruse the cute chalkboard menu where the daily specials were written in neat yellow bubble letters. She wasn't even sure if she could eat when the presence of the man beside her was making her sick to her stomach.

"Back again I see?" the young woman behind the register smiled at her as Sakura took her place at the counter. But then the employee three "Ebisu" a furtive glance and seemed to be asking with her eyes if everything was alright.

Sakura managed to bob her head. "Yeah, the anmitsu was really good, so I just wanted to get another serving please." The tremors of her hand were evident as she handed over her card.

"And for you, sir?" The young woman eyed him skeptically. Sakura knew that her body language and the fact that this woman had seen her come in with Sai, must have raised some red flags.

"A chai tea." Ebisu stated calmly.

"Right…" Though clearly reluctant to leave them alone, she took Ebisu's money, handed him the remaining change, and Sakura internally cried as she was forced to step aside for the next customer.

"I'll make this brief, Miss Haruno. I wouldn't want to keep you. Any incidents regarding magic at a crime scene, we take very seriously. We have reviewed the police report and were very interested in the eye witness accounts regarding your role in yesterday's…incient."

"It was all self-defense." She blurted. "My friends…they attacked us and—"

"No miss, you misunderstand. You aren't being pursued as a suspect of any kind. Surely the police must have made you aware of that yesterday. But the accounts of your Summoning magic are most impressive."

"S-Summoning magic?" she squeaked, feigning ignorance.

Ebisu's empty, knowing smile made her heart sink. Her limited lying abilities wouldn't rescue her. "Is that not what you are? A Summoner? For one so young, you seem to have…some promise. We're always very interested in meeting those with abilities such as yours," Ebisu reached into his pocket, and withdrew…a business card? "Please take this." Despite herself, Sakura accepted the card, glancing down to see his full name, and the official emblem of the Magical Council, along with an address and phone number.

Sakura jammed it awkwardly into the breast pocket at the front of her overalls, smiling shakily. "Thanks."

"Don't hesitate to give us a call. We'd be happy to give you an extensive tour, and perhaps, even discuss employment in the future. You'll be finished with schooling soon, correct? Have you put any thought into what you'd like to do as a career? Your options are certainly limitless."

"Order up!" Sakura moved gratefully to the counter to accept her second helping of anmitsu. Ebisu took his chai tea with a quiet thanks.

"I'm keeping myself open…" she swallowed. "Y-You know, to all my options."

"Understandable," Ebisu agreed, taking a small sip of his tea. "Ah, it seems your friends have decided to join us."

Sakura turned and saw Naruto and Sai wearing equally guarded expressions as they approached her and Ebisu.

"Hello I'm…"

"You're too close." Surprisingly, it wasn't Sai, but Naruto.

Ebisu cleared his throat. "I beg your pardon?"

"You're standing way too close to Sakura-chan and she's uncomfortable." The pinkette was startled as he walked toward them and wrapped a steadying arm around her shoulders.

"Naruto," she breathed a sigh of relief, no longer caring that he'd been a stranger only an hour ago. There was a feeling of safety, huddled under his arm, away from Ebisu and his increasingly probing questions.

"I apologize." Ebisu dipped his head politely. "For any discomfort. I was only discussing with Miss Haruno that, should she be interested—"

"She's not." Sai interrupted. "If you're here to for anything involving business, she is not interested. Please, leave us."

Ebisu, smartly realizing he was outnumbered, smiled once more. "My regards, Miss Haruno. You know where to find me." The trio watched him powerwalk out of the café, and into the bustle of the crowded streets, rife with afternoon shoppers and tourists.

Naruto rubbed her arm comfortingly as the two boys guided her back outside to their table. Naruto plucked the bowl of anmitsu from her shaking hands and sat it down in front of her.

"What was all that about?"

Sakura took a minute to compose herself before answering his question. "I was in line, and he approached me out of the blue. He said he was from the Regulatory Council for Magical Management, and gave me this card." Sakura showed them the card, and Sai pulled it out of her hand to examine.

"Civilian Affairs? What's that?" He then proceeded to lift it to his nose and sniff the card. "His scent isn't really familiar…"

"Give it here!" Naruto reached across the table and snatched the card from Sai's hand. Sakura watched him scent the card too. "Ugh, you got your cat smell on it…and it smells a little like Sakura-chan too." A blush settled over his face as he inhaled deeply. "And…yeah, that's all I got. I mean, I smell that Ebisu guy too, but it's not familiar to me either."

Feeling curious, Sakura took a turn sniffing the card after getting it back from Naruto. She felt slightly ridiculous when she noticed them both watching her strangely. "What? You both did it!"

"You aren't a shifter nor a yokai." Sai explained, bemused. "I doubt you will notice anything we couldn't."

Sakura lowered the card from her face and put it away, pouting. He was right. It smelled like paper, and barely that, after being passed around so much.

Picking up her spoon she started to poke at her anmitsu. "We should get back home, soon…" she muttered noncommittally. "By the way," a thought crossed her mind, and she looked expectantly at Sai. "How'd you know to come in when you did?"

"I could feel it. Through our link."

"Seriously?" Sakura glanced down at her Evoker in awe. "I didn't really feel anything...but my thoughts were all over the place, so maybe there was just too much interfering."

"It's possible," Sai agreed. "At any rate, I felt your distress." He motioned dismissively to Naruto. "He followed me."

Naruto looked up from cramming chips into his mouth. "The more back up, the better." he defended. "You totally would have needed my help if we had to take that guy down." Something clicked suddenly as Naruto's blue eyes flashed. "Wait!" Naruto reached into his jacket and pulled out a phone, clumsily dropping it on the table before picking it back up and holding it out to her. "I dunno how long we're gonna be in town, but…"

Sakura smiled graciously. "Sure, we can exchange numbers, Naruto."

Naruto's eyes sparkled; he was almost vibrating in his seat. "Y-Yeah?"

Sakura shrugged, taking the phone from him. "Why not? It was sort of nice today. More lively than what I'm use to, but nice." Truthfully, it was strange, agreeing to exchange information with a boy she'd only known for all of an hour. It wasn't like her at all.

It could have all been a ruse. He could have been dangerous or unstable...or a pervert. Even if he wasn't any of those things, she doubted she'd feel motivated to text or call him first, and he'd probably forget about keeping in touch once he went back home.

Sakura began maneuvering through his phone, smiling at his wallpaper, a picture of himself with a happy couple who she assumed must be his parents. Sai's hand grabbed her wrist and lowered it before she could even finish dialing in the area code. "Eh? What now Sai?"

"Seriously, what gives? It's not like your her boyfriend or anything...why're you so clingy."

"In the movie I watched, two young people met for the first time at an ice cream shop, then exchanged numbers, which let to a summer tryst." Sakura's mouth fell open.

"How much TV did you _watch_ in the last two days? And just because we're trading numbers it doesn't mean it's connected to romance!" Sai slowly let go of her wrist, but kept staring at Naruto's phone in displeasure as Sakura finished putting in her information and gave it back. Naruto was all too happy to accept her phone and do the same.

"There," the blonde proudly gave her cellphone back. "Real nice meeting you Sakura-chan." he announced, standing. "Maybe we can hang out again while I'm still in town!" Naruto pocketed his phone and looked down at his wristwatch. "Oh man! I gotta meet up with Mom n' Dad soon, or it's over for me!" He quickly stuffed the remainder of the sandwich on his plate into his mouth and waved as he stepped off the patio. "Sww wu arwon'!"

Sakura and Sai watched him sprint off. "He's a little weird, but nice."

"Do you really think that was alright? That kitsune seemed...attached to you."

"Sai, it was just exchanging phone numbers." Sakura guffawed. "Teenagers do it all the time. It's not a big deal. Plus," she waved her hand. "I seriously doubt he's even gonna..." Sakura paused as her phone vibrated across the table. "Huh? Someone's texting me? It must be Ino or something." The pinkette was surprised to unlock her phone and find Naruto had already sent her a message.

"That...was fast..." Sakura typed a quick message back and hit send. Naruto wanted to let her know he was already a few blocks away, but he missed her.

Sai looked at her pointedly.

"It doesn't mean anything! He's gonna get tired of it soon!" Sakura declared.

* * *

"I can't believe he's not tired of it!" Sakura tossed her phone down, back into the depths of her messenger bag, as she exited the store, a bag of freshly purchased books on one arm. Sai was at her side, opening up a large umbrella as they both stepped out into the rain. "Thanks," she said absently, getting under it.

It had been three days. Naruto still hadn't gotten sick of messaging her about every mundane thing, throwing in a lot of overt hints (if one could honestly call them that) that he missed her. Sakura didn't know if she found it sweet, annoying, or a mixture of both. It wasn't like she was lying when she had told him that meeting again in the last three days wasn't possible. Tsunade had doubled her training, to make up for the delays due to the whole Summoning debacle.

She'd be worked until every muscle spasmed and it was all she could do to slink into the shower after a long day of transmuting toads to toadstools and back again. Shizune had brought her books, as promised, that could delve deeper into the ins and outs of Summoning magic that the beginner's guide simply didn't cover. So she would read through the heavy old books late into the night, or until her eyes got too heavy to keep open.

The small excursion to the book store at the mall was the first time she'd been back to the mall, or had a day of true relaxation, since becoming a Summoner. Sakura skirted around a deep puddle, briefly stepping out from under the umbrella and then rejoining Sai on the other side again.

"Where to now?" her partner queried. That's what she had been practicing calling him in her head, so the idea wouldn't be as foreign when she said it aloud.

"Grocery shopping next." she stuffed her hands in the pockets of her raincoat. "Tsunade says we're having company for dinner tonight."

"Mm."

Sakura closed her eyes, listening to the patter of rain against the umbrella over their heads and the slosh of their feet moving through shallow puddles on the sidewalk.

When it rained, the world was being cleansed. That's what Tsunade had told her when she was a little girl. The goddess cried for humanity, and her tears granted the life-sustaining liquid that the earth needed to thrive. A symbol of mercy. It was a fanciful thought then, and thinking of it now made her nostalgic.

Sakura peered out at the sea of raincoats, in yellows and blues and purples, remembering when her parents would swing them between them and lift her over puddles. Sometimes, her father would pretend that his hand had slipped, and let her feet make contact with the water instead. She would squeal in delight and beg him to do it again, much to her mother's displeasure.

A simpler time. Before her mother had begun forcing ideas of how she should spend her life in the service of the government, being the first one in their family to even have the possibility of Summoning magic in many generations. ' _Come to think of it, have I called home since any of this started?_ ' The answer was no, she hadn't. It should have made her feel guilty, but the thought of calling home only chafed at her pride.

The day she had left home after a prolonged argument had been a bitter one, in which she declared she'd live as a hedge witch, freely and without her mother breathing down her neck. It was several months before she spoke to either of her parents again. Ignoring all her father's texts, urging her to come back home, to let her mother be right. She refused.

Rainy days like this one, that cast the tall, steel buildings that made up downtown Konoha in such a somber light, always drudged up a rush of emotions for her.

Seeing the upscale grocery store, the one where all the trendy shoppers went, was so jarring against the gray backdrop of the rainy city streets that it snapped her from her ruminating. "Let's go, Sai. We'll just get the stuff on Tsunade's list from here."

Sai didn't object, closing the umbrella as they stepped under the blue and white awning that marked the store's entrance. Sai shook out the umbrella on the large black mat in front of the door while Sakura looked around for the list she'd been given that morning. She almost tripped over a booted foot, the rest of the leg it was attached to partially hidden by a wooden kiosk, where the store sometimes exchanged store receipts for raffle tickets worth different level prizes. It was another reason why Tsunade liked to frequent this particular grocery chain, despite it being twice as expensive as the one on Hasegawa Blvd. It appealed to her more base nature of gambling.

Sakura took a hesitant peek around the kiosk, noticing the leg, clad in blue fatigue bottoms that looked like they had come from a surplus store. The torso was covered by a forest green utility jacket zipped to the throat, a hood drawn over his head.

"Uh, excuse me?" Sakura said unsurely. It didn't seem to get his attention. The man on the ground just kept looking at the sky. Sakura felt temper starting to flare. "Well fine, you were the one who tripped me, though." she marched into the store with Sai, sparing the immobile figure slumped against the wall one final glance.

* * *

Kushina fondly watched her son pace their hotel room, glancing at his phone impatiently. Her little boy was truly growing up. For the last several days, he'd been infatuated with a girl he met in the city, that he hadn't them more than vague details about. Just mentioning it was enough to send him into a sputtering tizzy. It was easy to tell when she'd texted back, though, because he'd get the dopiest smile she'd ever seen on his face.

"Minato, come look at your son!" she crowed.

"Mom!" Naruto whined.

Minato wandered out of the bathroom, his face freshly shaved, and smiled knowingly as he watched Naruto collapse on his unmade bed. "Our boy's got it bad, doesn't he?"

"If he'd just give us a name, maybe we could help him out."

Naruto groaned dramatically. "I can't. That'd be weird." he rolled onto his back, laying his hands across his stomach. "I'm pretty sure I goofed it all up. I texted her too much and now she's not answering."

"Naruto, maybe she's just busy." Minato reassured, going to the mini fridge for a bottled water.

"Or what if it's too late for another reason? What if she found someone else? Like that pasty creep!" Naruto shuddered, continuing to ramble. "Aww..." Kushina watched her son pull at his hair. "Why couldn't I grow up here? Maybe I would've had a chance then!"

Kushina sat down on one side of Naruto, gently pushing his legs to make room for herself. "It's funny you mention it. You were technically born here, and we almost raised you here, but..."

"But you know how it is for the Uzumaki, Naruto. Kushina was next in line for succession." Minato joined them, sitting near Naruto's head.

"So, you better confess to her before we go home, or you'll regret it forever." Kushina joked, crawling up to Naruto's face and planting a motherly kiss on his cheek. Naruto rolled away from her and she giggled, swatting at him with the pillow. Naruto acted like the hotel's beige walls were closing in on him, all because of a girl. Admittedly, she'd waited far too long for her son to grow up and have romance trouble so she could tease him. It's what the little sucker got for the seventeen hours of labor she'd endured to bring him into the world!

"Come to think of it, Jiraiya told me Tsunade's got a goddaughter Naruto's age that's staying with her. Maybe the two of you could be friends." Minato tried, patting Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto pulled the pillow he'd had over his face away. "It's not the same...but fine."

"Atta boy!" Kushina cheered, "go get washed up now," she ordered, patting his leg.

* * *

Sakura stumbled through the exit, her arms full of brown paper bags, loaded with groceries. It was times like these in particular, that she cursed not having a car. She would have even settled for Tsunade's old van. Walking all the way to the bus stop in the rain carrying bags of books _and_ heavy groceries seemed like she had a masochistic streak, in hindsight.

Sai carried a grocery back under one of his arms and wrestled to get the umbrella open with the other. The books he'd picked out from the bookstore still hanging from his right wrist. While the shifter tried to open their only means of shelter from the rain still steadily falling, Sakura glanced around subtly, glancing back over to where she had seen the strange man before.

She shouldn't have been concerned for some rude, loitering jerk, but a part of her had wondered about him the whole time they were in the store. Was he homeless? Had he fallen on hard times or was he just some freeloader that refused to get a job? It had been hard to say from the brief non-interaction they shared.

"Oh!" Sure enough, the same pair of boots that she had seen were still there, mostly hidden by the kiosk. Sakura walked over just as Sai finally got the umbrella opened, and tried to put it over her head.

"Where are you going?" he called.

"Just give me a second..." Sakura had prepared for the possibility that he would still be there when they exited the store. And there he was. Leaning against the wall without a care in the world. She shifted the bags in her arms, rummaging around through one of them with some difficulty, until she pulled forth the pre-made bento she had purchased from the deli. It was forward of her to assume he was hungry at all. But if he wasn't, well, then she'd just have a bento for later, she guessed.

"Um..." she squatted awkwardly, extending the bento to him. She assumed it was a him. "Here. I thought...well you've been out here all this time." To her internal surprise, his head suddenly jerked in her direction, and she caught side of hard teal eyes and from the looks of it, blood red hair.

He stared at her intensely, and she started to feel uncomfortable. Suddenly, she was getting maniac vibes... _'Shit...'_

"What are you doing?" Sai demanded, running over and taking her by the elbow. "Something's not right...Stay away from him."

Sakura felt her heart hammering in her throat, the teal eyes scrutinizing her from under the hoodie still locked on her face. "I don't want it." the gruff voice rumbled. There was no denying now that it was definitely a man. "Your friend's right. You should stay away."

Sakura started to stand, Sai all too ready to pull her away. And then she remembered the courage it had taken to present the damn thing to him in the first place and her stubbornness reared it's head. "You know, I'm starting to get soaked, I don't need this, and really, you should take it." she insisted.

He blinked slowly, his eyes drifting to her hand. "I can assure you I don't need your charity." he drew his knees to his chest. "Go."

Sakura shook the bento at him in frustration. "You're just being really stubborn now. Come on, here."

"Master," Sai ground out, starting to drag her away forcibly. Sakura had almost forgotten that he did, indeed, have shifter strength, despite his physique. Not a single other soul seemed inclined to pay attention to the stranger huddled for shelter behind a flimsy kiosk in the pouring rain. That thought fueled her to keep trying to force a meal onto him.

"It's got fried chicken and rice in it." Sakura told him. "Top quality bento."

His eyes narrowed, clearly annoyed. "Set it down and leave."

Sakura glared back, dropping the bento in his lap and standing back to her full height, satisfied. "Alright," she smiled at Sai, "Now we can go."

Sai held out the umbrella once more, and she stepped under it. As they made their way away from the store and to the bus stop, Sai began to grumble. "Yet another dangerous yokai you insist on interacting with..."

Sakura squinted in alarm. "That guy was a yokai?"

She was a little annoyed that Sai gave her the kind of long-suffering sigh she'd usually throw in his direction. "You don't have the heightened senses that I do, so you need to rely a little more on my judgement. That was a tanuki with a highly volatile aura surrounding him."

Sakura mulled that over. "You're right. Sorry. I guess I probably should trust your instincts a little more, since I _did_ say we'd be partners."

"Yes, partners." said Sai.

* * *

He smelt her before he saw her. She came right out of the store with that cat shifter at her heels, and his inner beast roared to life. The closer she got, the harder it was to keep him from lunging. He had only been in the city two days, and the sights and smells seemed to drive the damned thing into a frenzy. The girl...he could tell the minute she got close she was a Summoner. Which likely made the man following after her, the Summon.

It was a shame, the beast lamented, that he hadn't reached her first. She had a strong magical core and a soothing aura that made the beast inside tense but simultaneously still. It didn't matter what race she was; she had the magic that could keep him from slipping into insanity. Yet she was claimed. The Summon standing over her shoulder looked around vigilantly for any threats to his master, and when she began to approach him, the cat's eyes had dilated.

The last thing Gaara had expected was for the girl to try foisting a bento on him. She thought he was some sort of vagabond, did she? Well, she wasn't wrong. At least he knew no one had guessed at his royal lineage.

He denied wanting the bento, hoping she would leave. It wasn't that he wouldn't gladly consume the food, but that the beast had a far greater preoccupation with her, and when she stood close, it was hard to predict what it would drive him to do.

 **"Claim."** it chanted. **"Kill that fucking cat and take what you deserve. Don't you deserve the peace?"** it goaded.

The shifter uttered "master" and his beast wanted to tear out the cat's throat. He had no right to be so possessive of a Summoner that was never his to begin with, but the inner beast wasn't known for its rationality, or Gaara would never have the problems he experienced in the first place.

"It's got fried chicken and rice in it." she wheedled. "Top quality bento."

Gaara could hardly stand it. She wanted him to accept the food, but all the beast wanted was to sink its fangs deep into her neck and force a blood bond. It began to send him lewd images of her wrapped around him while he lapped greedily from an open wound on the spot where his teeth punctured her skin. The saccharine blood would be so satisfying after doing without for so long... The gut-deep, unreachable hunger would finally get sated.

"Set it down and leave." he snapped. Didn't she see she was in danger? Couldn't she feel it? Her shifter could. Gaara could practically see the dark fur trying to ripple over his pale skin. What kind of weather was this for a crop top?

The box landed squarely in his lap and she beamed at her Summon. "Alright," she said. "Now we can go."

And go they did.

Gaara watched them until they were veritable dots down the street. When they were out of sight, he curled himself completely behind the kiosk and took the lid off the bento. As promised, fried chicken with rice and pickled vegetables greeted him. Despite not feeling too hungry, Gaara found himself devouring the meal with fervor. All the while, he vowed to do whatever he could to avoid another run in with the pink-haired Summoner for as long as he stayed in the city.

The beast smacked its lips, a guttural chuckle slipping from its throat. **"You can try."** it suggested. **"You're always more than welcome to try."** He knew. Gaara absolutely knew that the dark presence in his head would do everything in his power to push him in the direction of his new prey.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hosting the Uzushian diplomat and her family prove to be interesting. Meanwhile Gaara goes to drastic measures to forget all about Sakura and the way her presence effects him.

Sakura pulled the last of the food from the oven, sighing in relief. Tsunade walked into the kitchen with an impressed hum. "Nice work, Sakura. It smells great in here." She complimented.

Sakura shot her an accusing look. "No thanks to you, really."

Tsunade laughed nervously. "I've mastered a lot of things in my lifetime, but cooking just isn't one of them, alright? Besides, you had Sai and the tsukomogami helping you."

Sakura took off her oven mitts, reaching into one of the drawers and taking out a talisman, peeling off the back and sticking it onto the side of the cooling food to keep it adequately warm. "The tsukomogami can only help so much. I don't feel right making them do everything. So I gave them all a break halfway through." The blonde witch looked and sure enough the whisk, baster and wooden ladle were playing a game of cards on the kitchen counter.

"Oi! That better not be my good set!" she scolded. The chastised group of yokai stopped levitating the cards guiltily.

"Leave them alone," Sakura defended, opening the cabinet and letting the plates float out. "I told them they could."

"Fine," Tsunade huffed, sitting down at the table. "What about that cat of yours?"

Sakura made a mildly annoyed face, pointing to the ceiling. " _Sai_ 's upstairs. He tried to help but fifteen minutes in and it turned into a disaster so I told him to just go find something else to do. He wanted to read some new book he got from the bookstore anyway."

"The top half of the house isn't inexplicably on fire so I guess that's fine." The older witch relented.

"So…" Sakura peered at Tsunade and then looked around at all the food, "You never told me exactly who we're having over?" she paused suspiciously. "Wait…this isn't some old gambling buddy you're trying to schmooze to get out of a payment, is it?"

Tsunade smirked as the doorbell rang. "Hardly. Feel free to come meet them for yourself." Sakura followed after her as she went to go answer the door, curious. She looked down at herself, wondering belatedly if she was underdressed in her loose cotton dress and house slippers. Getting home, changing out of the wet clothes and putting on something comfortable to cook in had only seemed practical. It never occurred to her to change again. ' _It has pockets…_ ' Sakura mentally defended herself. _'And,'_ she thought, plucking at the soft gray fabric. _'It's really comfy.'_

She jumped when TonTon's cold snout touched her ankle, taking her by surprise just as Tsunade opened the door and Jiraiya's broad frame immediately took up almost the entire doorway. "Tsunade!" he greeted, arms extended. "You look well when you're not tipsy!" Sakura watched her mentor glare, evading his attempt at a hug and instead reaching for a bottle he had in one hand.

"What's that?" the blonde demaned, pointing.

"This?" Jiraiya began innocently. "Just some choice sake I brought along. Thought it might be a nice way for everyone to unwind after the me—"

Tsunade had snatched the bottle before he could even finish his sentence. Jiraiya sighed, shaking his head. "Never changes much, does she?" he smiled at Sakura, who smiled back.

"How can you expect her to when you just keep encouraging the habit?"

Sakura turned, catching a glimpse of someone standing over Jiraiya's shoulder. The man noticed too, stepping further into the house and motioning behind him. "Sakura, not sure if Tsunade's told you, but this is…an old friend of mine and his family."

When her green eyes settled on them, she gasped, recognizing them as the man and woman she had seen in Naruto's phone. They were just as radiant in person. Bright smiles and equally bright hair. The man was handsome, with the same unruly golden hair as his son, and kind blue eyes. At his side stood a beautiful woman with fiery red hair tumbling down her back, wearing a comfortable-looking short sleeved green dress, hands clasped in front of her. The gold of her wedding band caught Sakura's eyes, and she smiled to herself. They looked so happy together. "Minato and Kushina, and their son, Naru—"

Sakura's eyes lit up. "Naruto!" He was easy to recognize with his spiky golden hair, hands stuffed into the pockets of his blue jeans, and wearing a tan t-shirt with a vaguely familiar orange swirl.

Naruto's anxious frown instantly morphed into a fanged smile the minute he recognized her. Racing forward, she met him in a friendly embrace.

"Oh my, it looks like we know who Naruto's mystery girl is," the red-haired woman tittered from over Naruto's shoulder.

"Things have a way of working themselves out that way, don't they?" The blonde man agreed.

"Sakura-chan, _you're_ the goddaughter of ero-jiji's friend?" Naruto asked as they pulled apart.

Laughing a little, Sakura nodded. "And I guess you're one of our dinner guests for tonight." Turning, she faced his parents sheepishly. "Sorry, I'm Sakura." she bashfully pushed a few strands of hair from her face, holding out a hand, "I met Naruto in town."

"We've heard." His mother stepped forward to greet her enthusiastically. Sakura winced a little at how strong her handshake was. Usually, it was the same reaction other people had when she'd shake their hand. "It's all he could really talk about."

"Mom!" Naruto whined.

"What's there to be shy about?" Kushina grinned. "I'm just stating the truth."

Jiraiya boomed with laughter, taking Naruto under one arm and steering him further into the house. "Oi, Tsunade, that's not for now! At least try to be a decent hostess first."

Everyone turned to see that Tsunade was trying to uncork the sake bottle. The minute she noticed all eyes on her, however, she quickly sat it down, grumbling.

' _For shame,'_ Sakura turned away in second hand embarrassment.

"Yeah, yeah…" Pivoting on her heel, she walked forward to properly greet the new arrivals.

"Kushina," she hugged the redheaded woman first. Sakura felt a brief stab of pity, knowing how hard Tsunade tended to hug. That was, until she noticed Kushina was returning the embrace with eqal bone-crushing force,"Gorgeous as ever."

Kushina giggled, rubbing her neck subconsciously. "Look who's talking! You haven't aged a day, Tsunade-hime!"

"You think so?"

Sakura and Naruto exchanged eye rolls. Try as she may to appear modest, there was no hiding Tsunade's smug expression.

"Minato!" Tsunade grabbed him up next and Sakura noted that unlike his wife, he seemed to be feeling the full force of the hug.

"T-Tsunade-hime," he coughed quietly, patting her back. "You really do look well."

Glittering brown eyes landed on Naruto, and her mentor's kind smile turned into a full-blown smirk. "Well, well…look who's all grown up? Last time you came around you were still lower than my kneecaps and drooling on everything." She sauntered toward Naruto, hands on her hips, and he stepped back unsurely, looking at his parents.

"I…I know her?"

"Well, sure," Kushina affirmed. "You were just a little thing, though. It's not surprising you don't remember."

"You've shot up," Tsunade observed. "But if you destroy an altar _this_ time, I think you're old enough to face big boy consequences…" she took a menacing step toward the young kitsune, "don't you think so, Naruto?" The witch cracked her knuckles ominously, causing Sakura and Naruto to gulp in unison. The threat wasn't even directed at her, and Sakura felt a little nervous.

"Now, now, Tsunade…" Jiraiya called from the kitchen. Inevitably, whenever he stopped by, the man seemed to end up in the kitchen or the parlor, drinking sake and soundly beating Tsunade in some card game. "Naruto's gonna be on his best behavior. Let's all just sit down and dig in. This smells great~" There was a pause, and then Jiraiya yelped in pain. Tsunade snickered, and Sakura could only assume one of the tsukomogami that had helped make the food was now guarding it from grubby hands… The little yokai were old-fashioned.

Everyone had to wash their hands and sit down to eat together, or else you'd get a well-placed wrap across your knuckles and not much else. "Yow!" Everyone watched from the parlor as Jiraiya took a step back, looking at his reddened hand. "You're still keepin' these cursed things around?"

"There's nothing cursed about the tsukomogami," Sakura scolded, everyone joining him in the kitchen. "They're a lot of help around the house!"

"No harm meant," Jiraiya laughed. "You're doing a good job keeping the place presentable kid, and so are they." The tsukomogami nearby all seemed to swell with pride. "It's Tsunade I'm worried about…when's the last time _she_ picked up a broom?"

The wicked glare Tsunade had been reserving for Naruto made its way to Jiraiya. "Hey, Jiraiya…I am a witch, you know…if you really want to see cursed…" she raised a beckoning hand. Shaking his head, Jiraiya ran to take shelter behind Minato. Sakura found it comical in itself. The blonde man was tall, but the bulky frame of the half-oni was still far from what she'd call "hidden" behind him. His long, white hair and the horns on his head were very much in view.

"Now," Tsunade chirped, "Sakura, you go get your… partner… and make sure he knows he'd better be on his best behavior."

"Partner?" Naruto asked, wandering closer to her. "Who's…?" he gasped, a stricken look on his face. "That pasty guy?!"

Sakura grinned sheepishly. "You remember Sai, right? He lives here too…for now."

In hindsight, Sakura wondered if honesty had been the best policy. Naruto would have found out the minute Sai came down the stairs. Maybe even sooner, with such an acute sense of smell. Regardless, the minute the information processed, Naruto's once cheerful face took on a more grave expression.

"I'm coming too!"

"Naruto, have some manners," Kushina told him as she fully entered the kitchen. Minato followed, albeit with some difficulty, as Jiraiya insisted on continuing to use him as a physical barrier between himself and Tsunade. "You don't just act that pushy in someone else's house!"

"Ah, it's fine," Tsunade reassured her. "The table's all set so we can do some catching up in the kitchen while the kids are upstairs."

Sakura faced the stairs so no one could see her make a face. If their meeting was anything like last time, the boys would give her an incredible headache.

"Alright," She took Naruto by the wrist, tugging him to the back stairs, "Let's make this quick Naruto,"

Looking down at where her slim fingers wrapped around his tanned wrist, Naruto couldn't help but notice how strong her hand was. "You've got a really strong grip!" he commented as he allowed himself to be dragged upstairs.

Blushing, Sakura reflexively let her hand drop. "S-Sorry…"

"For what?" Naruto asked as they made it past the first stairwell. "It just means you're stronger than you look!"

"Is that…a compliment?"

They stopped as they reached the top of the stairs, and Naruto turned, giving her a boyish smile. "'Course it is!"

Sakura smiled back. "Well thanks," she made her way to Shizune's room, Naruto right behind her. Had the hall been a little wider she had no doubt he'd try walking next to her. "It's just…in the past, people were weirded out by it."

The blonde looked scandalized. "Sakura-chan, that just means they have really, really bad tastes."

'Or is it just that you have odd tastes yourself?' she wondered, knocking on the door. "Sai? I'm coming in!"

Not hearing any protests, Sakura opened the door to find Sai, cross-legged on the bed, engrossed in a small book he was reading. "Uh, look who stopped by,"

Sai looked up, narrowing his eyes as he noticed Naruto next to his master.

"Kitsune," Sai bobbed his head in acknowledgement.

"It's Naruto!" the blonde snapped. " _Na-ru-to_! Calling somebody by their species when you know their name is rude, 'ttebayo!"

"Why's he here?" Sai asked, closing his book and slipping off the bed.

Naruto gaped. "Don't ignore me, you—"

"Sai," Sakura stepped further into the room, firmly putting herself between the two boys. "Naruto and his parents are here for dinner. They're our guests. Tsunade is expecting you to be on your best behavior…so don't be rude."

Glancing at Naruto contemplatively, Sai slowly nodded. "Naruto-kun…no hard feelings then."

Sakura sighed in relief; it was a start.

"But," Sai tacked on, making his way to her side. "I don't want to have to emasculate you even further, so…I'd appreciate it if you kept your hands to yourself in regards to my master."

"Sai!" Sakura quickly smacked him hard on the head. "Stop. Picking. Fights! Can't we all be friends here, at least for tonight?"

Naruto crossed his arms. "Whatever…but I'm not sitting by him!"

"Hm…I can live with that." Sai smiled.

Sakura stomped her way down the hall with both boys behind her. It was a tense walk back downstairs since she'd given them both warning glares and they'd opted not to speak to each other at all.

Some of her irritation melted away at the sight of the adults, conversing brightly in the kitchen like the old friends they were. They looked up when they heard the footsteps, and Sakura guessed her sour expression hadn't disappeared quickly enough, as Tsunade raised a brow. "Everything alright?" she asked pointedly. The implicit message that she'd better keep Naruto and Sai under control was pretty clear.

"Yep. We're all…" One final glance at the two boys now standing on either side of her. ' _Last chance you two…'_

"Ready to dig in," she finished.

"Well, pull up some chairs. I think we've waited long enough." As Tsunade snapped her fingers, the coverings flew off of the food, revealing the feast Sakura and her helpers had worked so hard on. Kushina, Minato and Jiraiya marveled over the dishes.

"You went to all this trouble for us?" Minato gasped.

"Everything smells great!" Kushina clapped, carefully wiping her mouth.

The feud was all but forgotten, Sai and Naruto focusing their attention on the food. Sakura was so relieved that they weren't arguing, she didn't mind having to sit between them.

Everyone broke their chopsticks and piled their plates with a chorus of "Itadakimasu!"

Naruto inhaled his food, and Sai ate methodically, but both stuffed their faces happily.

"You've got yourself one hell of a live in cook," Jiraiya told Tsunade, "This is the best chicken yakisoba I've ever had."

"Minato," Kushina swallowed a mouthful of food, but immediately took a larger bite of some sesame-seared tuna. "When's the last time we had fish cooked so perfectly? We can't even get it this good on Uzushio!" she praised.

Sakura shrank into her seats, blushing as the compliments continued to flow. "I-It's nothing special…I just picked up some cooking skills here and there. You know, since Tsunade's hopeless."

The table chuckled at the older witch's expense. "Congratulations, you're grounded." Her godmother poured herself a drink, took a sip, and made a disgusted face. "Jiraiya, what the hell? This isn't sake at all!"

"Of course not, hime," he calmly held up the bottle, smirking. "It's spiced cider. Non-alcoholic. Figured you wouldn't read the label too carefully. The sake is still safe with me."

"Damn you," she cursed, angrily chugging the cider in her glass.

"Is she always like this?" Naruto whispered in her ear.

"…Honestly, yeah…" Sakura mumbled. "Sometimes I feel like _I'm_ the guardian."

She met eyes with Jiraiya and he winked as he put the sake out of Tsunade's reach. "It looks like you picked up another one since the last time I was here," the oni noted, studying Sai in curiosity.

"Oh," Sakura sat up straight. It hadn't dawned on her that only Tsunade and Naruto had actually met him. Clearing her throat, she glanced at her Summon helplessly. "He's…" Sakura decided then and there to just come clean.

"I'm Sai," the were-jaguar responded. "Nice to meet you all."

At least, Sakura thought, he had decided to be mannerly for the time being.

"Sai, hm?" Minato smiled politely, but Sakura could tell that unlike Sai's smiles, his were sincere. "Are you a relative who's visiting too?"

Tsunade snorted. "Him? He's a stray that's been sniffing around Sakura for a week."

"Sai's my Summon," Sakura supplied, noticing the confused faces of Minato and Kushina, and the intrigued face of Jiraiya. _'There. Off like a bandage.'_ It was far from the end of the discussion, however. If anything, the revelation only made everyone at the table who hadn't already been aware of the fact lean in with rapt attention.

"A Summon?" Kushina looked on in interest. Her amethyst eyes practically sparkling. "You're already practicing such advanced magic so young?" The redhead looked directly at Naruto and beamed. "You picked a good one, that's for sure. I mean look how cute she is! Those ears alone are to die for."

"Mom, really?" Naruto bowed his head, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone as his cheeks turned red. Sakura's ears were adorable, and so were her eyes and her hair and her freckles...but did his mom have to blurt it out?

"Would you mind telling us more about that?" Minato asked Sakura. "You can't be any older than Naruto, so you had to have come into your magic not too long ago, right?"

Sakura put a steamed piece of cabbage under the table and she saw TonTon scarf it down. "It's…it's sort of a long story. But you're right. I turned sixteen and then a few weeks later I met Sai. He's been my Summon since then, but…we're still…getting use to each other."

"Agreed," Sai took a sip from his glass and set it down. "It feels like just yesterday she hit me with a pillow for watching her sleep."

The spiced pork on the way to her lips fell unceremoniously from her chopsticks. Sakura felt heat ignite across her cheeks all the way to the tips of her ears. As quickly as she'd let her guard down… Sai, true to his nature, had bluntly stated something embarrassing without a second thought.

"Y-Y-You what?" Naruto gaped. "You've seen Sakura-chan sleeping?!"

Minato looked at his son in concern. "Naruto, why are _you_ red?"

Every inch of his face had turned pink, and it was spreading to his neck. "Sakura-chan…sleeping…Sakura-chan's cute pajamas…"

Kushina frowned. "Are you short-circuiting?"

"S-Sakura-chan's…pajamas…"

Sighing with a shake of her head, the female kitsune went back to eating. "That answers that question…"

"Tsunade," Jiraiya grinned. "What kind of guardian are you? Letting boys sneak in to watch Sakura while she's vulnerable?"

Tsunade daintily wiped away the sauce from the corner of her mouth. "Listen…I didn't _let_ him. He pretty much does whatever he wants. He walked right down the stairs in nothing but a little towel the other day. Sakura had to chase him back upstairs with a spatula."

"Who's side are you on?!" Sakura shrieked, placing her hands on her warm cheeks in horror. "You don't have to announce that!"

"If I've got to be miserable without my sake, we can be miserable together." Tsunade whispered menacingly.

' _Why is she like this?!_ ' Sakura scowled down at her plate.

"I'm still getting the hang of social etiquette," Sai admitted quietly. "But my master has been teaching me. For example…" When he cleared his throat and turned to Naruto, Sakura was on high alert.

"Knock-knock…"

"Er…who's…there?"

"Orange."

"Oh, I get it!" Naruto grinned, "Orange who?"

"Orange you going to eat that?" Sakura watched as Sai pointed his chopsticks at the seared tuna on Naruto's plate, plucking it up and then unceremoniously eating it.

Naruto stared at the spot where the tuna had been and then into Sai's chewing face. "Did you seriously use a lame joke to steal food off my plate?!"

"Sai, that is _not_ what I taught you!" Sakura turned to the amused adults. "No really, that's not what I taught him at all!"

Kushina's delighted laughter filled the kitchen. "How lively! Makes me wanna be young again, 'ttebane! Don't you think so, Minato? Remember all the pranks we'd play?"

"Actually…" her husband interjected. " _You_ pulled all the pranks. On me."

Kushina smiled sweetly. "Pssh! Oh, you loved it. And you looked great with red hair. Like an Uzushian!"

Minato groaned.

"Um," Sakura timidly poked around on her plate. "Do you mind if I ask _you_ some questions?" she addressed Kushina, "I've heard Uzushio is a sovereign island nation with a council?"

"Mhm," Kushina chirped, slurping down her yakisoba. "That's right. We've been sovereign for over a century now. The council helps dictate the law but it's the sitting island chief who establishes rules in conjunction. We're a matriarchal society, mostly,"

Sakura's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Better believe it!" Kushina boasted. "We've had male chiefs too, but it's tradition for women to take the position. Just like it's tradition for children to take their mother's last name in our culture. That's why Naruto's an Uzumaki."

Sakura found herself leaning forward so much that she almost sat her elbow in Sai's plate. It was fascinating stuff to her. Before coming to live with Tsunade, she had always been taught that people were, for the most part, beholden to their destinies. Especially women. "I don't understand how things are the way they are on the mainland…" Kushina continued. "With all due respect, Tsunade-hime, I'm surprised you chose to stay and live here. You have as much claim to the title as anyone!"

The table suddenly quieted as eyes drifted to Tsunade, still drinking cider and wishing it was stronger.

"You've got…claim?" Sakura repeated.

"She never told you that?" Jiraiya tisked. "Well, there's a reason why hime here is called…hime."

"Jiraiya," Tsunade warned tiredly.

"What's the harm in letting her know?" he shrugged.

Staring Sakura squarely in the eyes, Tsunade grimaced. "My grandmother is Uzumaki Mito. She was the village chief before Kushina. A strong kitsune woman and a master of Sealing magic. By rights…I should have ascended to the seat after her, but…I decided to travel the world. I was a Naturalborn witch and I thought my talents would be better spent treating as many people as possible. Then I settled far away on the mainland. So, Kushina got the seat after me."

Sakura's chin dipped down to her collarbone in shock. "Seriously? So you're actual royalty?"

"Oi, does that mean we're all related?!" Naruto exclaimed. His whiskers stretched taut on his cheeks as he pursed his lips in apprehension.

"Distantly, Tsunade's…a really removed cousin of yours." Jiraiya rubbed his chin. " _Really_ removed."

"Oh shut up, enough about that," Tsunade snapped. "And when do you plan to break out the damn sake, exactly? I've already downed four cups of this watery crap and my bladder will be shot to hell before I even get a sip of alcohol at this rate."

"She's…kinda serious about the booze…" Naruto grumbled "Can't believe I'm related to some boozy baa-chan."

"You say something, Naruto?" Tsunade asked sweetly.

Putting on a wide, naïve grin, Naruto shook his head. "I…I said I can't believe I'm related to such a beautiful woman."

"Is it time for flattery?" Sai queried. "In that case, for a woman who is obviously several centuries old, you do an excellent job of hiding your wrinkles. The excessively large bust is another nice touch because—" Sakura's hand shot out to cover Sai's mouth so hard, she felt him moan in pain behind her palm.

Tsunade looked like she was minutes away from flipping the entire dinner table.

"You look like you're not a day over thirty!" Sakura finished. "A-Anyway, Kushina-san, you're the village chief right now? What's it like, ruling a sovereign nation? I bet it's pretty progressive,"

"Oh, I still have opposition," the redheaded kitsune hummed around her food. "I ascended pretty young. So everyone was always calling my decisions into question based on my age, ya know? Then I married an outsider…" Kushina lovingly laid her head on Minato's shoulder.

"Plus! Mom's always had a temper, so people think she's a hothead!" Naruto cackled.

Kushina's cheeks reddened, "If we were at home I'd tell you to go to your room!"

Naruto nudged Sakura, motioning across the table with a thumb. "Hehe…see what I mean?"

"Naruto, mind your mother." Minato reminded. The smile around his eyes made it hard for Sakura to think the warning was out of anything but fondness.

"Is Naruto going to ascend the seat after you?" Sakura couldn't help but want to return to the conversation. A matriarchal society was endlessly riveting. Despite the imperfections it likely had, all Sakura could see was freedom. She'd spent her life on the mainland, where the heavy-handed ruling of a patriarchal government dictated that she, a sixteen-year old with Summoning magic, should be flattered into spending her entire life in service to it.

Minato chuckled lightly. "Actually," he wiped his mouth, "It'll be Naruto's cousin who takes over after Kushina."

"I still can't believe _Karin's_ gonna be running Uzushio someday!" Naruto stuck his tongue out. "That's even more reason for me to move to the mainland. I'll even live with ero-jiji if I have to!"

Jiraiya smirked wryly. " _If I have to_ , huh?"

"Until we can find you a Summoner, you're better off on Uzushio." Minato said. "We've talked about it,"

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto slouched in his seat. "I wish Sakura-chan could be my partner." He said under his breath. Sakura looked over at him and they met eyes. Naruto blushed. "I…I mean we get along, and we're the same age…"

She patted his arm reassuringly. "I know what you mean. I'm flattered." Chiyo's words rang in her head. More than one Summon. She had found out it was indeed possible, like the tengu had told her. The last recorded Summoner with multiple partners had two of them but they were siblings and from the same species. Sai was a were-jaguar. Not even a yokai but a shifter.

Naruto was a kitsune. They were always at each other's throats, so she couldn't imagine having them both bound to her at the same time… Sai by himself was a handful. There were so many things to work out with him. But, if she did have to take a second Summon on, would Naruto really be such a bad choice? He was outgoing, and he _had_ helped her at the café…

"It's funny, isn't it," Jiraiya said. "A few weeks earlier and you two could have been the ones partnered up."

The rest of the meal passed uneventfully. Sai and Naruto continued to steal from each other's plates, Tsunade was placated by finally getting to sample the sake, and Sakura engaged Minato and Kushina in conversation. In the back of her mind, the cogs continued to turn. If more than one Summon was a possibility for her, would it be greedy to search them out? Or would they find their way to her, like Sai had?

If Sakura was honest with herself, she wasn't entirely sold on embracing her magic. A life as a hedge witch was still tempting. But here was Sai, her partner, who didn't seem to be going away anytime soon. And then there was the mysterious man, Ebisu, who had made it perfectly clear that she was already on the Magical Council's radar.

Try as she might, she couldn't shake what she was. And if that was the case, how much longer would it be before she ran into more Summons who wanted her to be their master, with or without her consent?

* * *

Gaara looked up at the flashing neon sign of the rundown pub. It wasn't hard to find. Even on the slummier side of the city, it stood out. There was a very specific clientele who frequented it, and they skulked around the building like vultures, each one more questionable looking than the last. Acrid scents that assaulted his nose drifted out as soon as he opened the door. It was twice as bad the moment he stepped inside. Lingering stares followed him across the sticky floor as he made his way to the counter.

His appearance was altered, so no one would see his more distinct features. Red hair, a forehead tattoo and tanuki rings stood out. But nothing would strike anyone as unusual about the deep brown hair and golden brown eyes of his disguised form.

Settling himself on the stool, he waited restlessly for the pub owner to come over, and he was rewarded with a quiet sneer. Pupiless black oni eyes stared at him coldly, "New around here? Only my regulars come up to the bar like this."

Not one to mince words, Gaara leveled him with a pointed stare. "I'm here looking for a man named Chikafusa. I want to discuss doing business with him."

The pub owner looked taken aback, fixing the disguised prince with a hard frown. "Just what kind of business do you think you're looking to discuss?"

"Tell me where to find him first."

Glaring, he ground out. "I don't know who the hell you think you are. But nobody gets in to speak with Chikafusa-san without proper recommendation by me."

"Then recommend me already," Digging into his pocket, he set two crisp bills on the counter.

The pub's owner looked incredulously at the money, then into Gaara's blank face. "You must be joking." A small wave of his hands and two burly men that had been watching Gaara since the moment he entered slunk from the shadows. "Get him outta here, boys."

Gaara stood as they approached, anticipating the meaty hand coming for his shoulder and catching the wrist. He twisted the arm, pulling the man in close and butting their heads together. When the second body guard came at him, he caught him by the back of the collar and slammed him hard into the bar, positive that some of his teeth had been loosened by the blow. Staggering, the two men dizzily reached for them, and Gaara easily ducked, letting them grab at each other instead. While they tried to untangle themselves, he shoved a foot into the center of an exposed back and they toppled over together.

The pub was eerily quiet, everyone staring at the spectacle. "Chikafusa." Gaara repeated. "I want to meet him."

Peering over the counter, the oni glanced down at his incapacitated bodyguards, then at the impatient young man half their size who had effortlessly taken them both out.

"Chikafusa-san is…"

Gaara's sense of smell alerted him to a new arrival, and through the haze of smoke lingering from someone's pipe, a man in a gray suit that hardly stood four feet tall, approached, "You've got my attention, friend,"

Gaara sized him up. The markings around his squinted eyes suggested he was some kind of shifter. That and his smell. "Chikafusa?"

"Yes,"

"I'll be blunt…I came here because I know what you do, and I want in."

Chikafusa stared at Gaara for a long minute before looking at the bodies on the floor. "Let's…take it to my office, shall we?"

Gaara followed behind the little shifter, ignoring both the looks of the patrons in the pub and the delighted cries of the beast stirring inside. It was upset he hadn't finished off his opponents, but intrigued that more fighting could be around the corner.

Gaara was neither apprehensive nor eager, simply accepting. This was what it would take to forget about that Summoner girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there are many more chapters, but it takes time to add them. I will soon, though. I hope anyone who stumbles upon what's here so far and enjoys it considers leaving a comment.


	9. Friendly Wagers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bonding goes a long way for Sakura and her friends.

The Uzumaki family had stayed late into the night, and Sakura had to admit she was almost sad to see them go. After meeting his parents, it became clear where Naruto got his seemingly boundless energy from.

Kushina was excitable, talkative and straightforward, much like her son. Minato was level-headed, patient and indulgent of both their quirks, the perfect contrast to Kushina. They were kind, interesting people. Admittedly, she envied them a little. Naruto had a close bond with his parents that she hadn't had with her own in years. They respected and loved him as an individual. That was the way it should be, she thought, pulling out the new book she had bought.

 _Shifters and Yokai: A Compendium_ was a small but thick book, a picture of a half-phased wolfman on the cover. Sakura, feeling her eyes droop, elected to skip the beginning and get straight to the chapters she found most interesting. She started on the kitsune chapter, her interactions with the Uzushian family fresh in her mind.

There was a colored illustration of a large orange fox that towered over mountains, nine tails spread behind it. _Kurama the Kitsune_ was written underneath the picture. _'That…that's their true form?'_ Sakura tried to imagine a grinning Naruto shifting to that size.

" _The kitsune are a species of supernatural animal spirits classified as yokai or sometimes obake,_ " she read. " _They are known as being mischievous by nature, though their pranks can be playful and not malicious. As they grow up, kitsune gain a number of tails and can have anywhere from one, indicating a young, inexperienced fox…to nine. These tails are their pride._ " Imagining Naruto with fluffy tails made her laugh quietly. It was more fitting than thinking of a fearsome Naruto in giant fox form.

' _I wonder how many he has right now…'_ Sakura figured that since he was around her age, it couldn't be many. Kushina was likely to have much more… And Minato…come to think of it, was he even a kitsune? She shrugged. Curious as she was, asking would have been rude. Turning her focus back to the page, she continued on, " _Kitsune are known to possess various abilities, but this book has only confirmed some of them from kitsune themselves. Katon no Kitsune or Foxfire are flames generated from the kitsune's tail(s) at will. The more tails usually indicate a stronger flame, and although normally burning orange, there have been recorded instances of blue flames. They may also possess the ability to go intangible at will, and, though unsubstantiated, some believe that a powerful enough kitsune can bend time and space with a flick of its tail(s)._

 _"At this time, the largest known kitsune community resides on the island of Uzushio and claim to be descendants of the Monster Fox, Kurama the Kyuubi._ " Sakura stared at the page in shock once again. The last paragraph especially caught her attention. " _Kitsune are one of the species capable of becoming Summons. Studies show approximately 4.7% of the kitsune population have or will need Summoners. Though they are not an uncommon yokai species, seeing them as Summons has become rarer due to their at times wily natures. Generally, they are considered suitable partners for Summoners with at least intermediate control of their magic._ "

Did she have that? When it came to the abilities her fae heritage had afforded her, Sakura considered herself at least above average. It had, of course, been months since she touched any of it, more focused on her witch training. Falling out of practice was little to no concern, though. It was innate, and even if it wasn't her mother had gruelingly seen to it that it was ingrained in her.

The chapter contained several more pages, but Sakura flipped through the book again until she found the section on shapeshifters.

She put the book aside with a long sigh. It only raised more questions than it provided answers. Chiyo seemed to believe she was one of the incredibly rare Summoners who could possibly have more than one ideal match in a Summon. But having more than one match didn't necessarily mean they'd be easy to find…

" _Were Creatures"_ the title read. An image of a werewolf, reared on hind legs and in the middle of shifting, covered half the page. Beside it was an image of an ordinary man, presumably the wolf while he was in human form. Sakura's brows drew down some at the term. ' _Shouldn't the correct term be were-people?_ ' Stowing away the prickle of indignation, she flipped to the first page.

" _Were-creatures, sometimes also called skinwalkers, are defined as any individual born with the ability to change from human to animal at will. Though werewolves are among the most commonly known species, were-bears, black dogs, and a variety of large cat shifters, among other species, also fall into this category. Abilities and culture vary by species, but it's not uncommon for these creatures,"_ Sakura paused.

"There it goes with the 'creatures' thing again…" she muttered. "If they're creatures just because they're magical then so am I." She couldn't explain exactly why the book's wording touched a nerve, but it did. _Creatures_ seemed to imply that weres weren't on the same level as other magical, sentient races. Soldiering on, she started down the page again. _"…to share a few similarities or even interbreed._ _Coincidentally, all of these species have the possibility of forming contracts with Summoners. It is less common than a yokai contract yet interestingly, it is estimated 14% of the shifter population is born with the potential to become a Summon._ " Sakura rubbed at her eyes, suppressing a yawn. The rest would have to wait for another time. Setting the book aside, Sakura pulled the covers up to her chin and snuggled down, letting her eyes fall shut.

* * *

"Remember, every night like clockwork or it won't be effective." Tsunade handed over the small package.

"Yes, ma'am," the grateful customer bowed, adjusting his skewed glasses with a clumsy smile. "This is sure to help with some of my test anxiety!"

The witch watched him dash out of the shop, nearly tripping over his own feet. He was only a few years older than Sakura, if she had to guess, and the biggest concern in his life was getting crippling anxiety over college entrance exams. She sighed to herself, slouching against the counter, hand rested into her palm. If only that were Sakura's biggest fear…but she knew her goddaughter had more than the average teenager to fret over.

Shizune came through the door as he was exiting, brushing off her hands. "Alright, car's all loaded." She announced. "Need anything else besides more supplies?"

Tsunade mulled it over, wrapping her arms under her chest. "Nah, I think Sakura already took care of all that the other day."

Shizune sighed, a gentle smile on her face. "She's so reliable she puts us to shame,"

"Ain't that the truth," the older woman chuckled.

"Well, I'll be back soon!" Shizune turned with a wave, jogging out the door. Tsunade walked behind her, flipping the sign to "closed for lunch" and then wandering into the kitchen and having a seat. The tsukomogami that milled around grew excited, and she smiled a little, waving them off.

"I don't really need anything right now, thanks," A little disappointed, they slowly dispersed. A nudge against her ankle made her look down. TonTon was sitting at her feet expectantly. "Looks like it's just you and me, pig." She gently nudged the little pig with a foot, and the sow nuzzled it happily.

"Hm…I could catch up on brewing some spells and surprise Shizune by having everything done when she gets back…or I could play solitaire."

"Oink!" TonTon ran in a small circle, running to the parlor's altar and then running back.

"Huh, what's that you say? Solitaire it is!" Tsunade declared, standing.

"Oooink," She ignored TonTon's flattened ears and drooped tail.

Before she could retrieve the cards, a heavy knock sounded at the front door. "Ugh," Tsunade muttered to herself. "What part of that sign don't they understand?"

Rubbing her forehead, she kept searching for her cards, deciding to ignore it. They would give up and go away after a while. As she rummaged through drawers and skimmed counters to see where the tsukomogami had left her cards, the knocking continued. _'Just keep ignoring,'_ she silently chanted. Tsunade ground her teeth, her patience running out as the knocking turned to pounding. She stood from where she'd been leaned over the countertop, checking behind the toaster—an unlikely place, but still a possible one— and hit her head on an open cabinet.

Cursing the whole way, Tsunade made her way to the front door. Whoever was unlucky enough to be on the other side when she answered would be hexed into another life. Not even reincarnation would help them escape her wrath. She threw the door open with a curse on her lips and a wisp of pink magic at her fingers. She'd touch the fool and that would be that.

When the sight of a grinning Jiraiya in her field of vision registered, her mouth twisted in bewilderment, but she didn't feel like putting a curse on him any less than she did before.

"Tsunade!" he greeted with his usual boisterous exuberance. "Thought I'd drop by and thank you for that great dinner last night. Oh, and to see if you cared for a little game of mahjong?" He wiggled his eyebrows enticingly.

Of course, her first thought was to agree, greedy for the possible rewards. She'd seen another minor deity in town, and had been assured her luck would improve by at least 3%. That was more than enough to bet the farm on. "This isn't our usual game night," she reasoned. "And two people for mahjong? What're you really up to?"

"Mahjong first, questions later," he insisted.

Tsunade eyed him critically from head to toe. "Fine, explain while we play then. And it's all or nothing stakes!"

"Whatever you say, hime."

Pausing, Tsunade turned to him with a scowl and hands on her hips. "Isn't it about time you stopped calling me that? I haven't actually had that title in years."

"True enough," Jiraiya rubbed his head, walking by her to sit himself at the kitchen table. "All the same, some habits die hard." She grunted something unintelligible as she went to dig out the tiles. "Sakura and Shizune left you by yourself today? It's a good thing I stopped by after all." he teased, his dark eyes mirthful. "Who knows what you'd get up to by yourself? Isn't that right, TonTon?"

The small pig oinked in assent and Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Shizune made a quick run. She'll be back soon enough so don't get too comfortable. I'm just planning to relieve you of your money and toss you out."

"That so?" His grin never faltered as she came back to the table and began to take out tiles. "And Sakura? She's usually too level-headed to leave you unsupervised."

"I gave her the day off, for your information," Tsunade huffed, "Here," She shuffled the tiles and then dealt them out, picking up the dice. "She's been putting in extra work lately. I was getting a little concerned it might've been too much," Letting the small cubes tumble from her palm, she leaned down to stare anxiously as it stopped rolling.

"A softie where it counts," TonTon hopped onto the table to observe, and Jiraiya gave her a quick pat on the head. "I have to agree the poor kid's got her hands full. You know, she's gonna need to learn about Summoners from someone experienced in the matter, soon enough. If you're interested, I happen to know someone who could give her some tips."

The witch's eyebrows arched in interest and she momentarily forgot the dice. Jiraiya's face had mellowed. A sign that he was being genuine. "And who's this contact of yours?"

"Sorry, but I've been sworn to secrecy. Sort of a private person, but they've got the experience to help Sakura out. I'll get in touch with them,"

"Not often your secrets actually come in handy," Tsunade's tongue darted to the corner of her lips in concentration, and Jiraiya followed it distractedly for a moment. "Hah! I'm dealer!"

Jiraiya shook his head clear, watching as she set up her tiles. "Maybe not to you…" he agreed. "And, I have a respectable day job, so no one would suspect."

Tsunade gave him a flat stare, her hand pausing from picking up the white tile. "…Still writing dime-store smut then, huh?"

"My novels are _tasteful_ erotica!" Jiraiya defended, hand to his chest. "There's prose! And substance! And—"

"Big-breasted women in towels?" Tsunade guessed.

"M-Maybe a few of those. Sometimes," the oni admitted sheepishly. "But my point is, it's insulting to my readers to suggest I write cheap material." Clearing his throat, he began to build his wall of tiles, "Anyway, I'm worried about Sakura too. She's a good kid, so I'll help if I can."

"You know Jiriaya, you're not so bad…when you try."

"I guess I'll take that as the compliment you half-tried for it to be."

"Not so fast," Tsunade smirked, "I'm still gonna smoke you in this game. Prepare to pay up!"

* * *

The assessing stare Ino was giving her made Sakura almost self-conscious. Discreetly, she rubbed at her arm, half-smiling. "So anyway, this is Naruto." Naruto, standing at her side, wiggled anxiously. "He's here for a while and I told him it was okay if he hung out with us."

Ino's head tilted so far it fell onto her shoulder. "Hmm…I guess so." She turned away with a sigh, her long hair swishing behind her. Sakura noted that she'd woven fresh white roses into it, and they were giving off a sweet fragrance that would probably attract bees if they were outside. "Honestly…last week you were all about books over boys. Now you've got _two_ boyfriends?" she mumbled. "How come you get all the luck?"

Sakura pressed the heel of her palm against her own forehead. "Stop it, not this again…" Sai popped up from over her shoulder, dangling a phone charm she'd bought him in her face. "This character…he's supposed to be popular with children? Ah, I'm not sure I understand why…" He didn't even own a phone, so it was a little pointless, but for whatever reason when they'd been window shopping while waiting on Ino, something had attracted Sai to the shiny little bobble. It was the big cat in him, if she had to venture a guess.

Ino snagged it from the Summon to examine, squinting at the small grinning animal. "Oh yeah, I remember this guy! Poko-chan. We use to watch the show all the time when you'd come over to my house, right Sakura?"

Sakura had fond memories of childhood visits to Konoha during the summer. During one of these visits she had met and befriended Ino. Or rather, the vivacious, confident girl had befriended _her_ , the shy, distant crybaby.

Naruto laughed, poking the charm a little. "He's kinda cute because you can't really tell if he's supposed to be a bear or a dog."

Sai accepted the charm as Ino handed it back to him. "I see. So these things are even ' _cute_ ' to people other than children." Pocketing the tiny animal, he turned to Naruto with a coy smile. "That includes child-like people such as Naruto-kun,"

Sakura saw Naruto moving in toward Sai and snagged him by the ear instinctively. "Hey! Are you two really still doing this?! Sai, stop provoking him!"

The kitsune instantly wilted, eyes beading dramatically with crocodile tears. "I'll stop! I'll stop!"

Sakura released his ear, shaking a finger at Sai. "You're next if you start anything again."

Ino tittered. "Better do what she says, Sai. You probably already know this, but little miss brainiac has a temper big enough to match that huge forehead."

Sakura could feel the tips of her ears warming. Although she couldn't exactly deny it, didn't make it any less embarrassing. "Usually, when you want to hang out with someone you avoid pointing out things like that…"

"Heh," Ino moved a long lock of hair over her shoulder. "You know it's how I show love. Anyway, I'm feeling a little nostalgic today. So since we're here let's go to that new place that just opened. The one where you can make your own plushie! I wanna see if they've got anything like a Poko-chan."

"I-Ino, you don't think we'll look out of place, making stuffed animals with a bunch of little kids?" Sakura fretted.

"Stop worrying so much what someone else is gonna think and live a little. We're paying customers too, aren't we? And be honest, you can't tell me you don't want one." Her best friend ribbed.

Sakura gasped, trying to keep an indifferent face. It was true as a little girl she'd adored collecting plushies. Unfortunately it just wasn't logical to bring her entire collection from home when she'd moved into Tsunade's house. It had been four years since she'd seen her old room…A part of her wondered if her mother hadn't changed it into a home office or something.

"Maybe… _maybe_ it could be a little fun," Sakura admitted quietly. Ino let out a satisfied cry, seizing her by the wrist and pulling her across the mall.

"Let's go boys!" she cheered.

Naruto and Sai exchanged confused looks. "I don't get it but whatever it's about, I bet I do it better than you can!" the blonde declared.

Sai blinked away a frown. "It's possible that you're right this time, Naruto-kun. I don't have prior experience in this activity, after all." Acknowledging that, the were-jaguar glanced at the backs of Sakura and Ino, who were quickly leaving them behind. "But if this is something my master enjoys, then I'll learn to do it."

Naruto's jaw slackened in surprise, but he recovered quickly. "W-Whoa, did you just turn this into a competition of who could impress Sakura-chan? 'Cause you're on!" He streaked off before Sai could so much as object, leaving the shifter increasingly more confused.

* * *

The knock on his door came just as he slipped a clean shirt over his head. There wouldn't be much point in lying to himself and saying he wasn't satisfied with the feeling of being clean once more. Showers on the run had been sparse, every few days at best.

Now, although they were nowhere near the lap of luxury he had grown up in, his accommodations were steady. As long as he kept winning, Chikafusa would give him whatever he needed. There was no telling how long he could go on like this, but for the time being, his inner beast was sated.

His sponsor entered slowly, opening the door to peer around the edge and then slipping into the room. By that time, Gaara had altered his appearance, dawning the disguise of faded blonde hair and cinnamon eyes, complexion more golden than his normal pallor. So far, Chikafusa didn't suspect.

"Well done, Hikage." Here, he was no disgraced prince. He was not Gaara. "It was no mistake to work with you." He pulled forth a carefully bound envelope his pocket. "Here is your pay." Gaara wordlessly accepted the prize money, doing a quick count to make sure he wasn't shorted, and then putting it away in his dresser. When Chikafusa left, he would move the money again, just in case.

"Is that it?" he asked, noticing the man didn't look like he was about to leave.

Chikafusa smirked, his beady eyes gleaming. "There is a big match within a week. I have of course promoted you, a rising star. Your opponent isn't like the common thugs you've been fighting so far. He's made a career out of matches like these, although my men are still collecting information. Until then, you will continue to participate in the smaller matches I arrange for you. Consider it practice. Some very important people will be at the big one next week…and I expect the same results."

Gaara's eyes narrowed in on the man who had been his sponsor in the last few days, a seedy promoter of underground cage matches who masqueraded as the owner of a chain of laundromats.

Insulted, the beast bared its teeth in a sneer that reflected itself on Gaara's own face. "You didn't have a chance in hell before, with the second-rate clientele you usually sponsor." Although his face remained calm, the shorter man took a measured step backwards, angling himself toward the door. "I think you're confused about the arrangement we have." The tanuki whispered, beginning to circle around Chikafusa. "You need me much more than I need you. As long as you keep the matches coming, you can keep _expecting the same results._ "

Satisfied that he'd successfully asserted himself, Gaara moved around the stunned Chikafusa and shrugged into the jacket carelessly hanging from his doorknob. "I'm going out." he grunted, flipping up his hood.

There was no resistance, no utterance of protest. Instead, Gaara brushed by the small man, who was obviously still caught in the aftershocks of his beast's domineering aura. Focused on one target the bloodlust was something to be feared.

The beast only snickered in his head, pleased with itself.

* * *

The contrast of plush skins hanging from hooks against the colorful backdrop of the store was something Sai found surprisingly disturbing. To add to the feeling of unease, he glanced around, only to see that not only had his master, Ino and Naruto quickly rolled up their sleeves to pick from the limp, plush animals, but various other people, including small children, were shopping too. _'It's no use. I don't understand it. The void between my knowledge of recreational activities and other people's is still too wide…'_

"They don't have Poko-chan after all." Ino complained. "I guess I'll go with this, then." She held the unstuffed skin of a rabbit.

"Hey, that's what I wanted to pick!" Sakura exclaimed, holding up a similar skin in a tawny color.

"Tough! Pick something else, because I'm making a bunny." Ino barked, now clenching the poor deflated rabbit tight in her fist.

"I'm not gonna do that just because you tell me to. Let's do a quick game of chance and let _that_ decide." Sakura held out her right fist, and for a second Sai wondered if there would be an all-out-brawl, but Ino only grinned, holding out a fist of her own.

"Fine. The usual way, right? Ready? Go!"

"Rock-paper-scissors…shoot!" They chanted.

"Uh hey," Naruto whispered, holding his own chosen animal under one arm. "I didn't think Sakura-chan could be this competitive…but you know, that's kinda cute."

Sai continued to observe silently. _'I see. So properly motivated…even girls can have fierce rivalries…'_

It was over in an instant, Sakura slapping her open palm over Ino's closed fist in triumph. "Hah! Better luck next time, Ino-pig!"

"Oh, bleh. Make a stupid rabbit then." Ino stuck out her tongue. "I'll make…hm…I'll make this!" Ino held what turned out to be a brown monkey with a foolish grin high into the air. Its long, curled tail dangled pitifully behind it.

"So what're you gonna make Sai?" Sakura asked distractedly. "Hurry and pick so we can all stuff these at the same time." To say he was still confused was…an understatement. However, he did his best not to disappoint his master. When he couldn't find anything that appealed to him on the first row of hooks, he turned to the additional animal skins in bins, blindly fishing one out. Sai looked down at what he'd grabbed with a slow, calculating blink.

"Ahaha!" Ino giggled, "Making a jaguar. That's pretty ironic, considering." Smiling toothily, she nodded in approval. "Anyway, come on! Let's do this!"

Sai hesitated as the others began lining up at the stuffing machine. In truth, he didn't think the small scrap of cloth he'd picked up bared much resemblance to him, fur or not. He'd always thought that when he was shifted into a jaguar, he struck something like the fear only an apex predator could into his targets. What he was holding was…a poor imitation.

"What's wrong now, Sai?" Sakura wandered over. "It's not hard if you just follow the chart." She pointed to the directions posted above their heads on the wall, with step by step pictures that demonstrated the proper way to stuff their animals.

Ino was already ahead of them, talking to a young woman in a uniform about the tiny clothes she wanted to put on her monkey. His brows furrowed involuntarily. When he shifted, he didn't need his clothes…yet the miniaturized version of him did? "Why is this process so inaccurate?" he blurted.

The confusion on Sakura's face now mirrored his own. "Huh? There's not really an inaccurate process to stuff an animal…" Pausing, she turned to Naruto, who was watching their exchange impatiently. "…Is there?"

"Nope," he reassured. "Jungle boy's just scared to admit he doesn't know how to stuff a plushie."

"Sai, if you need help…" Sakura started to offer, but he shook his head.

"I can follow directions well enough to get it right I suppose. But I don't understand…this jaguar looks nothing like me." He showed her in the hopes that she'd see what he did. "Even with stuffing, I fail to see how this will have any of the intimidation a real jaguar does. And I don't need to wear clothes when I shift. Why does this toy?"

There was a long pause, Sakura's lips falling open slightly. Then, abruptly, laughter spilled out, quickly joined by Naruto's own guffaws.

Laughing. They were laughing. At him.

"I think you're really overthinking this." Naruto snorted. "It's just a toy, man. You think frogs," He held up his own plushie, "wear clothes? Or bunnies and monkeys? They're 'sposed to be cute, not scary. Otherwise nobody would want one."

"He has a good point, Sai." Sakura said after she'd calmed down, brushing an errant tear from her eye. "It's not…not really accurate to real life, but they're cute, you know? And that's what makes them charming."

Feeling he'd just been told more valuable information, Sai reached into his back pocket and pulled out a little notepad and pen, scribbling down the memo. "Cute is charming," he muttered. "But cute is also subjective…" he added as an afterthought.

"What's the hold up?" Sai glanced up from his notes to see Ino had already moved onto putting a tank top on her monkey. She was tapping her foot impatiently. "Am I the only one doing this?"

Shaking her head, Sakura motioned for the blonde to step in front of them. "Here, Naruto you go ahead of us. I'll help Sai."

This was met by a pout of resistance, and then Naruto shaking his head vehemently. "No, I got this Sakura-chan! Ladies first and all."

The fae was hesitant, looking back and forth between them. Sai saw Naruto plastering on a tight smile, so he imitated it to the best of his ability. "Well if you're sure…I'm glad you two are finally getting along a little better!"

Naruto slapped his back hard, and, assuming he was meant to copy this too, Sai returned it, still smiling. The minute Sakura's back was turned, however, the kitsune leaned in, a sharp look in his eyes. "Listen," he hissed. "I'm not gonna let you cheat. It's already not fair that you get to spend so much time with Sakura-chan…"

"She _is_ my master." he shrugged.

"Still," Naruto's eyes found a spot on the floor, before lifting to reflect stubborn determination. "I'm not gonna lose." The pouting fox declared. There was still some lingering uncertainty over exactly _what_ they were competing over to begin with, but he understood it involved the approval of his master, somehow. So he told himself that he wouldn't lose either.

* * *

The subway line was a cornucopia of smells, sounds and people. No one paid Gaara much attention, wedged near the back, hood up, leaned against the window with an unapproachable aura. He watched the rest of the passengers board before the doors slid shut. The first stop was fifteen minutes away, still in the seedier area of town.

Although he had no real destination, the disguised prince had decided that it might not be a bad thing to roam, at least during the day. Chikafusa's cage matches satisfied the beast's desires for bloodshed and destruction, but not its desire to roam. If he was honest, he got antsy too, more use to the vastness of his desert city home, and not the congested streets of a heavily populated city.

As long as he was careful, he was free to come and go as he pleased. No one in the circuit knew anything about Prince Gaara being alive right under their noses. The mysterious and seemingly indestructible newcomer to the underground cage fighting circuit named Hikage was another matter.

"Mama! There's no more room!" a small voice whined, breaking him from his thoughts. So slowly it was almost unnoticeable, Gaara lifted his head to see a mother with her young daughter, looking for a place to sit. The woman's head turned as she searched, causing her blond curls to bounce over her shoulder. In the hand not holding her daughter's she clutched a bag of groceries.

"Here," she maneuvered her way to a vacant seat across from his own, and sat down. There wasn't really enough room for the both of them, the sleeping occupant occupying the window seat eliminating any additional space. "Sit on mama's lap for a while." Obediently, the small child climbed onto her mother's lap, and when she was settled, the blonde woman wrapped her arms snugly around both her child and their groceries. "Comfy?"

"Mhm!" Swinging her legs merrily, the little girl didn't seem to mind the tight squeeze. She reached into the bag and pulled out an apple, holding it between her two tiny hands and beginning to nibble at it.

Gaara's nose twitched as the scent of the fruit wafted his way. It wasn't the only thing he could smell, though. They reeked…of humans. It was the first time in a long, long time he'd encountered any.

Of course, homo sapiens existed around the world, just the same as magical beings. But for centuries, they had been on the decline. More and more, populations comprised of fae, shifters, spirits, deities and yokai thrived.

Yet, anti-magical sentiment wasn't as scarce. Even as the child innocently ate her apple, her mother was warily glancing at the other riders on the subway, holding her daughter tight as if any one of them could claw her away. When their eyes met, Gaara was nearly tempted to let the yellow of his inner beast bleed into his pupils, but instead he offered her a blank stare. The hardness around the edges of her eyes didn't fade.

"What's wrong, Mama?" her daughter queried, cheeks stuffed with apple. Following her gaze, she leaned over, looking directly at Gaara without fear.

" **She wouldn't if she only knew…"** the beast thought.

But, perhaps in a rare display of consideration for its alter ego, the voice quieted, leaving Gaara alone with his thoughts once more. And his thoughts were…that he couldn't help comparing the round green eyes peering curiously into his, with another pair he could still vividly remember from not so long ago. Those eyes had been unguarded too. Set in the middle of a trusting face, one that hadn't seen the bleakness that he had.

The short, black hair was much different than the longer pink locks that had framed her face. But the eyes…A darker shade than the ones that still managed to haunt him. Not as captivating. He was staring into the face of some puny human spawn, after all. And humans were about the most uninteresting lumps on the planet to him.

Gaara turned away, expelling an agitated sigh and burrowing deeper into his hood. There was still a part of him he thought he'd killed off years ago. A part of him…that wanted to have a purpose beyond destruction. The odds of finding his master dwindled every day, but the spark of hope he despised persisted.

* * *

The orange and blue frog he had finished, adorned in a black track jacket, stared back at him with knowing golden eyes. Naruto had chosen a frog, and not the more obvious fox, because frogs gave him fond memories of his godfather's personal Familiars. Those Familiars in turn reminded him of fond childhood memories. It was a little embarrassing though, how sentimental he really was.

"Hey, that little guy turned out really cute, didn't he?" The heat at his back and the voice that usually made his heart speed up was accompanied by the sight of pink hair in his peripheral vision. Sakura sat beside him, back holding her own plushie hanging from her wrist and a mango smoothie in the opposite hand. Sai and Ino joined them before he had time to get excited. "I hope this flavor's okay." She handed him an additional cup and their fingers brushed when he accepted it.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan, that's really thoughtful." The flavor that traveled up the straw and passed his lips tasted like a variety of berries, and he slurped more down. Even if it had been a flavor he hated, he'd drink it without complaint since it was Sakura who gave it to him. Ino perched beside Sakura, daintily drinking her smoothie. Sai stood behind the bench awkwardly, eying the yellow smoothie he was holding.

"Smoothies hit the spot on a hot day like this, don't they?" asked Ino, breaking the sound of steady slurps from their straws.

"We've been in the air conditioning this whole time, but I have to admit, it's still pretty refreshing. What flavor did you get again, anyway?"

"Strawberry and kiwi," the flower fae moved a strand of hair that had found its way into her mouth aside. "What about you, Sai? That's pineapple and coconut, isn't it?"

Sai took a careful sip, nodding quietly. "It's...very tangy. It's nothing like the one I tried the last time we were here."

"Last time, you had a veggie smoothie." Sakura reminded him, shuddering. "What about you, Naruto? How's the mixed berry?"

"Not bad." He scratched his scalp, "Although I gotta say, I kind of miss some of the fruits we have back home. You know, star fruits, passion fruit, cloudberries..."

"Whoa," Ino interrupted, "Where'd you say you're from again?"

"Huh? Uzushio."

"His mom's the island chief there. Ino, they have a _matriarchal society_!" Sakura squealed.

"Oh yeah? So women call the shots there, eh? Sounds like my kind of vacation spot."

Sakura made a small noise in the back of her throat. "I guess I keep forgetting you'll be going home soon. It's been fun this past week and a half."

Naruto felt his heart leap. The fact that Sakura thought of him as fun to be around and not a nuisance would be enough to keep him riding high for a month.

"Hey, let's do something spontaneous, so we'll remember today." Ino suggested. Sakura gave her friend a heavy stare.

"Spontaneous like what? Because I'm not jumping in the coin fountain until mall security comes or anything like that."

"One dare. Sixth grade. And you didn't even do it." Ino waved her hand dismissively. "But no, everybody close your eyes."

"Ino, seriously, what the hell?"

"Close 'em, forehead! You too, Sai, Naruto."

Naruto waited until Sakura had complied before shutting his own eyes. She knew Ino much better than he did.

With his eyes closed, his other senses felt heightened, and he heard Ino like she was talking directly into his ear. "Alright, everybody put your bags in the middle of the table. But no peeking!" Naruto sat his frog on the table, hearing the rustling of bags as everyone else relinquished their own plushies. "Reach out and grab any bag besides the one in front of you..." Ino continued.

"Wha? Why? We just spent all that time making these!" Naruto groused.

"We can make the exact same ones another time. Today we're switching." The thought annoyed him enough that he nearly refused, but anticipation that he could possibly have Sakura's bunny to keep spurred him on. Blindly snatching up a bag, his eyes shot open, eager grin pulling at his cheeks.

Everyone else had reacted just as quickly. Even Sai, perplexed as ever, was holding a bag.

"One...two...three...open!" Sakura yelled.

Ino reacted first, shouting joyfully at the jaguar plushie she pulled out. "I got Sai's!" Her purr sounded more like a cat's than any noise he'd heard Sai make.

"I got...Naruto's." Sakura was clearly surprised as she now held the same frog plush she'd been admiring earlier.

Naruto blushed, imagining Sakura keeping something of his on her pillow every night.

 _'Please be Sakura's...Please be Sakura's...'_ he chanted. The overjoyed shout died in a groan as he pulled out Ino's monkey.

That only meant one thing...

Sai had gotten the rabbit. Sakura's rabbit. With Sakura's scent. Adding insult to injury, the dark-haired boy clearly didn't realize the prize he'd won. He gave the bunny an apathetic stare.

"Hm...if it's what normal teenagers do, I will keep this as a gift from my master." The were-jaguar solemnly declared, placing the bunny back in its bag.

The only upside was that his frog was going to be with Sakura, so it wasn't a total loss. Naruto slapped a palm to his forehead. _'Stupid lucky bastard...'_

Sakura had apparently misinterpreted his gesture. "Don't worry Naruto; I'll take good care of this." She gave the little orange frog an affectionate squeeze, and Naruto's jealousy shifted from Sai to the plushie that had ended up betraying its creator. _'You're an even luckier bastard...and you've gotten cotton for brains!'_


	10. Libraries, Lessons, and Lambs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Temari and Kankuro try to raise against the clock to help Gaara from a distance. But uncovering the true danger in their midst won't be easy.
> 
> Sakura attempts to get herself out of the issue her life has become but only gets further entangled. Luckily, Naruto's loyalty is unwavering.

Kankuro watched as heavy clods of sand buffeted the outside of the estate. Sandstorms in the Wind Kingdom were a part of life, but the ferocity they'd had lately almost felt like a sign. Or an omen.

"Princess, wait! You're ruining the stitching!" The door to the study slammed open, causing the prince to jump. Temari stomped into the room with a scowl in a traditional emerald gown with unfinished tailoring. The measuring tape was still wrapped around her waist and there were several frantic tailors trailing her.

When Temari glared at them from over her shoulder, they wisely chose to step back. "I need to speak to my brother. Alone." No one challenged her, not that Kankuro could really blame them.

Personally, he thought the tailors looked relieved to be dismissed. Temari's temper was a force to be reckoned with, going from his own past experiences.

"Yes, your grace…"

As soon as the door was closed his sister threw herself into an armchair, face falling into her hands. "I can't take this anymore. I don't _want_ to be the queen! I want to get Gaara's name cleared…"

Kankuro hesitated to tell her what he'd been thinking, afraid all her frustration would suddenly find a new bullseye. The hesitation died the more he thought of their younger brother living in hiding, unable to come home with the equivalent of a magical time bomb implanted inside him. "Ya know Temari. Maybe going through with this whole coronation thing might not be a bad idea."

Her blonde head jerked in his direction, fire in her eyes. "I mean think about it! Who's gonna be on the throne if it's not you? _Me_?" Kankuro firmly shook his head. "I think we all know that's not what's best for the kingdom. This is the safest way, plus, this way when we get enough evidence we can bring Gaara home, order a retrial and clear his name that way."

The fight was starting to leave her eyes, and he sighed to himself. Temari had always been just as sharp as she was feisty. She'd see the sense in his words.

"I just don't like the idea of being the court's puppet…and you remember the last thing Yashamaru told us, right? Whoever framed Gaara is probably still on the inside. Someone close to us we'd never expect. We need to suss them out."

Kankuro nodded in understanding. "Okay, so, I can use Crow. It was made for recon like this. I'll get in cozy with the council and see who cracks first. There's gotta be something they're hiding. Something that'd make them jump on the chance to kill Gaara…"

Temari wiggled her feet out of the tight heels she'd been forced into, slouching back in her chair. "What do you mean? He was just one of Father's loose ends to them. They figured it wouldn't be too much longer until he snapped, so—"

"Yeah, but I wonder." Kankuro stood, starting to pace the way he knew she hated. "If they were really so worried about Gaara losing control, seems like they wouldn't have made such a big deal about getting rid of him. The whole incident just seems…conveniently timed."

Temari leaned forward, sea blue eyes intense. "Let me see Yashamaru's notes."

Her brother gave her an annoyed glance before getting up. "For somebody that says they don't wanna be queen, you sure give orders like one…"

Nonetheless, he collected his uncle's notes and handed them over to her. Temari shuffled through them until her eyes landed on a particular page. "Aha! This is a list of suspicious characters Yashamaru managed to put together." She passed it to him over her shoulders.

"Are we really sure about this Temari? I think we should do some more investigating first. I still say Crow'd be good for the job. Think about it…not even two weeks ago a crowned prince was put on trial and sentenced to execution. That hasn't happened in centuries! We've still got all those foreign reporters snooping around, too…There's a lot of outside interest in this regime change. Before we nail anybody, there has to be no doubt they set up Gaara."

"I know all that, genius." She hissed. "I figure if the council is compromised, then I can use a mole of my own."

That had Kankuro truly baffled. He couldn't imagine someone who Temari trusted enough to reveal their plans to, let alone someone who had the right kind of access to the council to go unnoticed while collecting information.

"You…lost me." he admitted. "Big time."

"No surprise there." The princess threw a toned leg over the chair's arm as she got comfortable, and Kankuro was forced to avert his eyes with an indignant squawk. "She'll be by tomorrow, and you can expect to see a familiar face…"

* * *

Sakura rubbed her temple, willing the dull ache that had resurfaced to go away. ' _Just a little sleep-deprived…_ ' she yawned. The night before she'd poured over one of the books Shizune had brought her. One chapter in particular about the rare case studies in which a magical bond between Summoner and Summon were successfully broken caught her eye.

The book detailed three examples over the last fifty years in which, with the aid of some powerful Detraction spells, unsuitable bonds had been reversed with relatively little pain for the involved parties. Although she'd been side-tracked, there was still strong determination to undo the mess Sai had caused.

She could be free to return to her hedge witch studies without the worry of being scouted by the Regulatory Council. There was only a small amount of guilt dampening some of her excitement… Admittedly, she didn't know what would happen to Sai. He needed a Summoner maybe more than she'd initially needed a Summon. If she broke off their bond, would he begin wasting away? Sai was clueless, annoying, and sometimes even plain rude, but in the end he was a victim of Compellers who had turned him into what he was.

' _I'm not making a snap decision. I'm just doing a little more research._ ' She reasoned, getting up. ' _I'll take a trip to the library and check out some books on advanced cancellation spells…Probably won't find that in a book of every day spells, but if I ask Shizune for too many restricted books at a time…it might get her in trouble._ ' Mind made up, she gathered her bag and began stuffing things inside. By the time she was debating on whether or not she should risk sneaking in a candy bar for a snack, her cellphone began vibrating against her upper thigh. Cramming a hand into her skirt pocket, Sakura fished it out and picked up the call without so much as glancing at the ID.

"Hel—"

" _Sakura! This is an all hands on deck situation!_ " Ino's frantic voice reached her almost before the phone had connected.

"Could you slow down," Sakura rolled her eyes, use to her friend's antics. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it can't be that bad…"

" _It_ is _that bad_." Ino whined. " _The Barometz bloomed early this year. Dad's still doing his hush-hush work with the government so it's up to me and Mom and there's way too much here. Half of it's gonna go bad at this rate. I mean I'm so desperate for help I called Shikamaru, but he probably won't even be out of bed before one. And Chouji…I can't ask Chouji. He'd_ eat _the gourds._ "

The throbbing had not only migrated to between her eyes, it had intensified. Sakura fought back a grimace, trying to sound understanding as she listened to her friend panic. "I…I can't help today Ino. I'm really sorry. But what if I sent Sai?"

It was probably ill-advised. Sai was…Sai. And despite Ino's infatuation for him, she was serious about doing whatever it took to help out around her family's cherished shop.

"… _Sakura, are you sure about that? I mean I don't mind the eye-candy, but uh, I thought you were keeping the cat on a short leash, if you know what I mean_."

Sakura shrugged, before remembering Ino couldn't see her. "I am. That's why I'm going to the library now…" Lowering her voice, she continued, "I think I found a way out, Ino. I need to check what I found out, but I don't need Sai getting in the way. He's better off with you for today."

" _Fine!_ " Ino said through a long sigh. " _I'll be your cat-sitter while you do your nerd thing and hit the books. You owe me. Hm…let's see. It'll be your treat next time we hit Sunspot Café._ "

Deciding it was a relatively small price to pay, the pink-haired fae was quick to agree. "Lunch. My treat. Got it. I'm going now, Ino. How soon can you come pick Sai up?"

" _I was already on my way over! If you turned me down with no backup I wasn't above making a scene at your door._ "

Sakura pulled the phone away from her ear to stare at it incredulously. "That is…so like you."

" _Yeah, yeah. Tell him be ready because I'm coming in fifteen._ "

That was the easy part, Sakura knew. Convincing Sai that he didn't need to shadow her the way he had been since the day they met, was where the true ordeal began.

Dragging her feet, she walked across the hall and knocked, waiting. It didn't take long for her Summon to open the door and peer out. "I've been informed by Senju-sama that licking plates clean isn't the correct way to do dishes. I already washed them properly."

"Did you make sure you soaked them for at least thirty minutes because those grease stains can be really hard to get off—wait, you've been licking dishes clean?!" Sakura was curious what shade her face would settle on, angry apple red or sickly pea green. "No!" She slapped a palm over his mouth when he opened it to speak. "N-never…never mind. That's not why I'm here. I need you to stay with Ino today." Sai's eyes shifted downward and he started to shake his head. "I was fine before I had a Summon. I'll be fine for a day. I just…need some space, and Ino really needs some help." Feeling it was safe to, Sakura finally peeled her hand away.

"The bond is still new. It's best for both of us—"

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek stubbornly, and he faltered. "We're still two separate people." she insisted. "You'll be okay for a _day_ , Sai." Tapping her foot impatiently, Sakura started walking backwards down the hall. "Anyway, I've got a bus to catch. Stay here because Ino's coming to pick you up any minute."

The fae didn't give him a chance to guilt her with his lost puppy eyes, instead making a clean break and dashing down the stairs.

In her hurry she nearly skidded into customers Tsunade was helping. Her godmother turned around just in time to see Sakura barely manage to right herself. "Whoa, what's the rush? Hot date?"

"Library research!" Sakura corrected, jogging in place.

"You blow through that book Shizune brought already?" Tsunade shook her head. "Whatever, no harm in a hungry mind I guess. You'd better pick up something on botanical spells while you're out. You've got a pop quiz from yours truly coming up."

_ARfF_

The bus wasn't too crowded, so there were plenty of free seats to choose from. Sakura found one near the middle, settling her bag on her lap and doing a run through of all the information she was going to the library to research. ' _I need to make sure there really are no side effects to doing this. For me or for Sai…The vibrations of…vibrations?_ ' Sure enough, her phone was once again vibrating wildly, this time with an oncoming text. It was Naruto, gushing about how excited he was to be going to the ramen bar he looked up.

Sakura was filled with horror and embarrassment, realizing that she was supposed to hang out with Naruto again. Typing up a quick but sincere apology, she offered to reschedule and pay for his lunch.

Surprisingly, instead of sad emojis like she'd expected, there was a lightning fast response laced with hope.

 **Uzumaki Naruto** : _Wanna meet at the library then?_

Sakura wasn't if she saw Naruto as someone who could quietly sit and study for a long period of time, or at all, really. But they hadn't met long ago, and he might surprise her. Making up her mind, she looked up and sent him directions to the library, settling her phone back into her pocket when she was positive he'd gotten them.

Plans completed, she settled her head back against the seat and tried to empty her mind in the hopes that her headache would go away. Easing a little of her healing magic into her temples via her fingertips, she sighed in relief when the pounding dulled. Headaches had been a thing of the past after Sai came around, but they were pushing their way back into her life all of a sudden, and she was hardly enthused. Telling Tsunade, or even Ino, wasn't an option either. She'd handle it herself. No need to send them into a spiral of worry over what was likely a minor affliction.

* * *

The art of emoting still came far from easily for him. In part, that was why being around Sakura and others had been so informative. In just a short time, Sai had discovered so many different emotions, lots of them he wasn't even aware existed.

Furthermore, he was technically capable of feeling everything those around him could. Learning how would take time, and it was an intimidating process, but having a master who went through so many emotions every day, Sai wasn't too concerned that in time, getting in touch with his own feelings would come more easily.

Even now, in the moment, as he watched Yamanaka Ino's car coming up the small drive, he was sure he'd found a new pocket of emotions. Dread. Betrayal. Something in between there.

"Sai, hurry up and hop in!" she said from behind the shades covering her blue eyes. "Sakura, already gave you the run down, right?"

The abandoned shifter gave the house one final glance. Tsunade watched from the doorway—simultaneously barricading his way back inside—sipping from a steaming mug of tea. Never one to shirk duties, he squared his shoulders and schooled his features into impassiveness, deciding he would treat whatever awaited him like a mission.

Climbing in beside Ino, he fumbled to buckle himself in as she fiddled with the dial of the radio. "What's with you? _That_ lost without Sakura?"

"No," Sai denied. "I have my objective. I can comply with or without my master present."

"Uh…huh." She took off with a final honk of farewell to Tsunade. "I don't really get you, Sai. But I have to say…in a weird way, you're sort of a dramatic guy."

Dramatic. Now there was an adjective never before used to describe him. Then again, it was hard to say for certain when there was a large chunk of his life he didn't have memories of. In that regard, the feedback he received on his personality from Sakura, Ino, Naruto and others was the closest he could say he had ever been to "knowing himself".

To most people, only having a sense of self through the eyes of others was strange. He didn't need a book to know how incomplete he was. In a way he _did_ rely heavily on his master to give him direction, possibly more than he should.

They were leaving the cozy, sheltered forested area near Tsunade's cabin, driving back into city limits. The windows were rolled down, and a warm breeze tussled his hair, making Sai vaguely wonder how fast Ino was driving. Possibly prompted by the awkward silence, Ino started talking, drumming her fingers against the wheel. "I've known Sakura a really long time. I'm probably her oldest friend, actually," Ah, she'd chosen the one topic they undoubtedly had in common. Sakura. "I remember the day we met, right down to how much snot was running out of her nose. Oh, don't tell her I said that, okay?" Ino gave him a conspiratorial wink, sticking out her tongue.

"Imagining her that way is hard. It's true she looks vulnerable…but, how did the book put it? Looks can be deceiving." His hand absently rubbed at his cheek. Sometimes, Sai could still feel it. A phantom pain.

"Yep, she hides it well." Ino affirmed. "She thinks she's gotta take on everything herself. It's really annoying. Sometimes I miss the clingy crybaby she use to be." The blonde fae laughed quietly. It's a little funny that she'd be born a Summoner, of all things. That means that she's got magic that ties her to someone else for the rest of her life. The most headstrong, independent person I know needs to rely on somebody else to survive." The car came to a stop at a light; they were officially in the city of Konoha, on the main street. The colorful shops and restaurants hardly registered though, because Sai felt like he was on the verge of understanding something important about the girl he called master.

The shifter's head bowed forward as he thought of how it must be from Sakura's perspective. Being attached to a Summoner meant…someone commanded you, they shared their magic with you, they used you as a weapon and as a shield. For a Summoner…no, for someone like Sakura, it meant an end to a freedom she was desperately trying to maintain.

Maybe even to an extent that he would never understand.

How could he? This…this was the closest he had ever been to true freedom. His life before had consisted of a void existence, of blood, of living and dying for a person he couldn't even say he felt loyalty to. That was all he knew. That was why, trading one set of shackles for another hardly boded thinking about. Sai knew he would have done it again, with anyone who had the magic strong enough to keep him alive. It didn't matter who. It didn't matter if his new master had turned out to be worse than his last. A weapon in the hands of one madman was the same as any other. That's what he was. A weapon. A tool. Not a partner. Not a friend. Number 5,086.

"Sai? …Sai!" Startled, Sai blinked back into his present reality. Riding in a car with his master's trusted friend, Ino, who almost smelled like freshly bloomed flowers and sunshine. "Are you clocking out on me already? Rude…" Despite scolding him, there was no discernable anger in Ino's words. Most importantly, she hadn't called him by his numbered identification.

"I'm Sai now…" he whispered to himself. _She_ allowed him to choose, she permitted him a name, and he picked Sai. Sai and 5,086…were the same, but quickly becoming two separate entities. 5,086 lived for the mission and Sai lived for his master.

"Okay Sai Now, are you ready to do some lamb wrangling?" The car was cruising down the main streets, turning periodically. The city was making way to well-groomed neighborhoods. One of which, he assumed, Ino lived in.

"Lamb...what?" He wasn't sure he appreciated Ino's peels of laughter at his expense. While he wasn't the most well versed in conversation, he was almost sure what she'd just asked him was strange. It wasn't just him this time.

* * *

Confusion came through the link of the Evoker, and Sakura tapped the stone as she exited the bus. It had suddenly become warm, and she absently reached for her phone, determined to call Ino and make sure Sai was doing alright. For whose sake, she wasn't sure just yet. But there was no harm in checking in on them periodically.

Just as she prepared to scroll through her contacts, the warmth emitting from the Evoker subsided, drawing her attention back to the mysterious device. With any luck, the library would have more detailed texts on the function an Evoker played in mediating the connection between Summon and Summoner. Clearly, it transmitted Sai's emotions, or at the very least a vague imprint of them, to her. And there was no denying that even without its warmth, she could feel the steady pulse of his presence in the stone. Her bloodstone was...a conduit for their connection, she was sure of it.

Sakura smoothed her thumb across the gleaming surface of the pretty stone, glancing up as she trekked down the sidewalk toward the library's front steps. It was fortunate that the bus stop was a quick walk across the street from her destination. There were no signs of Naruto, but she wasn't concerned. If anything, he was still in route. Nothing to worry about.

Although, a little punctuality wouldn't _kill_ him. Sakura started across the street in the crosswalk as the light changed, moving her duffle higher up her shoulder when the weight of it started to hurt her arm. _'Why's this so heavy? I didn't even bring that much...'_ The same essentials she carried every day, plus the addition of her notebook and pen, rested in her bag. Nothing that should be making her feel the strain she had on her arm.

It was just some left over soreness from some of the motions she'd done in transfiguration practice the day before. No need to get dramatic over it...the heaviness creeping up on her as she finally made it across the street and to the library's many steps...well, that was training fatigue too.

But she had no right to complain. Tsunade had already been so patient and so lenient about the Summoner business. Sakura was determined to keep pulling her weight.

As if the very thought of weight was enough to throw her off balance, her feet became clumsy as she climbed the stairs, and she stumbled with a gasp. Flailing ungracefully, Sakura reached for the railing, trying to pull herself up.

Instead, her hand found something sturdier, warmer, fleshier. Squeezing the support under her fingers earned her a grunt, and her vision refocused enough that she could clearly make out dark eyes framed by impressive lashes. The boy they belonged to was descending the steps from the opposite side of the railing.

Dimly, Sakura thought he looked familiar... Strange, since the blazer and slacks suggested a private school uniform she didn't recognize. Regardless of whether she knew him or from where, she could attest that he was her age, and cute. Very cute. The look of apprehension he was giving her suggested his thoughts were moving in a very different direction.

Once she got her bearings, Sakura was quick to let him go, flustered. "I'm sorry!" There wasn't enough of an expression on the boy's pale face to know what his feelings were toward a stranger clinging to him, and the thick headphones over his ears made it hard to tell if he'd even heard.

"Careful," He said after a beat, voice impressively low for someone his age. Still recovering, Sakura couldn't focus too much on his tone, so she didn't know if he said it out of concern or admonishment. The latter was understandable, given how she'd grabbed onto him for a prolonged period.

"Y-Yeah, sorry," she swallowed, mentally screaming at her legs to regain their lost strength. To save face, beating a swift retreat into the safety of the library's lobby might be necessary.

The boy turned away, and Sakura's gaze followed his involuntarily. A sleek black car had pulled up at the curb, passerbys slowing down to stare in appreciation. Although she knew next to nothing about luxury vehicles, the smooth lines and shining rims made it obvious to even her the car was expensive, special.

The window rolled down, revealing a driver that bore a resemblance to the dark-haired boy. They were close enough for her to notice the differences, however, like his longer hair and the deep troughs under his almond eyes.

"Sasuke," he greeted, lips lifting just so in the barest traces of a smile. Moving away from her, Sasuke started down the stairs again, sliding into the passenger seat without a second glance back. The driver was another story, eyes briefly flickering to meet hers. It could have been her skewed senses, but the fae girl was sure he nodded once at her before they pulled off.

Although there was no reason to, she stared after their car, until it turned a corner and disappeared. A small blush crept up her face. She'd officially lingered too long. Advancing up the steps once more, Sakura took a deep breath, shaking her head in hopes it would dispel not only unhelpful thoughts of cute, mysterious boys, but her headache too.

Just as her fingers wrapped around the door handle, the sound of sneakers scraping up stone and a warm shout alerted her of her friend's arrival. "Hey, Sakura-chan, I made it! Sorry I'm a little late." By the time Sakura had turned to greet him, all her previous irritation had long since faded away. There was just no staying mad when Naruto flashed her such a genuine smile.

"I haven't been waiting too long, so you're off the hook this time." she scolded playfully.

Naruto's grin dimmed and he canted his head in concentration. "Hmm..." Suddenly he was very close, squinting into her face. Lightly scenting the air, the kitsune's brows knit together. "Your scent's all funny."

Indignant, Sakura shoved at him, so hard he almost toppled over. "Well, excuse me for trying a new body wash!" she snapped. Who wanted to walk around knowing they shared the same cleanser as their Summon?

"N-No!" Naruto pouted, rubbing at his shoulder. "I don't mean _that_ way. It's like you're sick but...not sick?" Growling, Sakura marched her way into the library with Naruto hot on her heels. So close, she could feel his breath rustle the hairs on her neck. Spinning, she readied a more stern reprimand, only to notice he was openly sniffing her.

"Cut it out!" Without thinking, she smacked him upside the head and he whined, backing off.

"That should be _my_ line." Naruto grumbled. "I'm just trying to figure out what's going on here..."

Sakura gave him an unsympathetic glare. "Do it in a non-weird way." For good measure, she moved some of her pink hair inconspicuously, so it would hide her warm cheeks. Naruto wasn't even the least bit fazed, but having him in her personal space without warning made her stomach somersault. Afraid he would notice, she swiftly proceeded.

Whatever annoyance the blonde had for her, he abandoned quickly, his footsteps echoing hers. "So...books, huh? I guess you're smart, so you'd be into libraries and stuff." He tried picking up a more neutral conversation, to which she shook her head at his attempt.

Laughing a little, Sakura climbed the spiraling steps to the second floor. "I won't pretend I don't like books. You could say that absorbing knowledge makes me feel like I'm in my element."

"I take after my mom, so..." There was a woeful sigh as the kitsune's head slumped forward. "Don't tell her, but she's not good at studying and she doesn't have the attention span to sit still and try for long, so it's sorta her fault I turned out this way." Naruto carded a hand through his hair. "Dad says that just means I'm a hands-on learner."

Thinking back to what the book described, Sakura rubbed at her chin, wandering down the first aisle she came to on the second floor. "Kitsune abilities _did_ seem pretty practical. You try until it works. Reading about time-traveling and fox fire wouldn't be that helpful." In that regard, Naruto's learning style wouldn't be that much of a detriment to his development.

Noticing Naruto's attentive expression, Sakura coyly tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, adjusting her headband. "I...I mean I'm speculating."

"Did I tell you about kitsune magic? I don't remember ever talking about that stuff."

"I got curious after dinner the other night." Sakura confessed. "So I read up about kitsune culture in my compendium and...and it mentioned really interesting abilities honestly." The title on the spine of a particular book caught her attention and Sakura plucked it from the shelf, flipping it over to read the dust jacket. "Hopefully I can find something that...can at least tell me more about Summoner and Summon connections through the Summon's perspective. Maybe it'll actually give me a clue on how to deal with Sai. I'm pretty much just winging it."

"Oh," Naruto drawled. " _That guy._ "

"Plus, I want to find out if there's ever any negative effects on Summons in these bonds..."

"You mean like, a bad connection? A forced one?" Naruto's blue eyes widened in shock. She hadn't ever told him how Sai had come to be her Summon.

"S-Something like that." she confided.

"Sakura-chan," his tone was suddenly quiet, serious. "What's going on?" Goofy though he may have been, suspicion was starting to shine in those clear blue eyes. So, even Naruto could read a mood.

Chancing a peek around, she beckoned him to sit as she slid down a shelf and folded herself neatly on the library's carpeted floor. He followed almost instantly, his assent far less graceful.

"You know I'm a new Summoner, but...I never wanted to be. What you saw the day we met, that guy from the Regulatory Council approaching me...that's what I've been afraid of most of my life. Being on their radar. Now it's happening, and I..." Sakura took a deep, steadying breath. "I'm trying to find a way out of all this." There it was, the bald truth. Afraid to see his reaction, Sakura closed her eyes.

It wasn't a huge secret. Tsunade, Shizune, Ino...all the important people in her life, hell, even Sai himself, knew she hadn't given up on trying to leave Summoning behind. Naruto still didn't know her well though. And he was a kitsune. If she understood correctly, her friend would one day need a Summoner or his own, and here she was selfishly admitting she was looking for a way to abandon her current Summon. Sai wasn't perfect, but Naruto could probably sympathize with him despite their rivalry (?)

"I probably look terrible to you," she whispered, tucking her chin into her knees. "Being a Summoner is a blessing," The words kept flowing unprompted, and Sakura cursed her loose tongue. Something about the way Naruto only listened, uninterrupting, urged her on. "I just thought I'd have more time! It's just too much! And I—" The warm hand settled on her head stopped her rambling, making Sakura peek into Naruto's face for the first time since she'd started talking.

"It's okay Sakura-chan." He soothed. "I get it..."

"Really?" she breathed, vaguely aware that his hand's warmth felt like a little flame, and that he'd scooted closer so their legs touched.

"It's not really fair." His hand was still rested on the crown of her head, but she didn't mind like she thought she would. "When I found out about...about Summoners, I didn't ever wanna meet one. I thought I wouldn't be...me anymore, ya know."

It was Sakura's turn to listen carefully. "I wish I'd known sooner a Summoner is someone like you." Heat found its way to her face yet again, and she knew her cheeks were at least pink now.

Sakura shook her head, dislodging his hand. "I-I'm not..."

"Yeah, you are." There was nothing but complete confidence on his face. "You're a good person. And you're my friend."

So this was what blind faith looked like, Sakura thought. Or maybe, it was just what _Naruto's_ blind faith looked like.

"I'll help you find whatever book you want." he promised, leaping up as if nothing had happened. Bending down, he offered her a hand. Hurriedly wiping at her warm face, Sakura took it, getting back on her feet. "Breaking bonds, right? I'll take this way, you take that way."

Despite having not known anything about her plan ten minutes ago, suddenly Naruto was taking charge. Running down another aisle—and ignoring the librarian's admonishing gaze—and putting all his energy behind helping her, even if he didn't completely understand.

Given his actions since meeting, it wasn't a strange pattern. He'd always been quick to jump in for her sake, ever since they'd encountered Ebisu at the cafe.

Naruto was a good friend, without question. Even if she felt she didn't deserve it, she had his support and loyalty.

Loyalty.

Sakura mulled over the meaning of the word. The compendium had forgotten to mention that kitsune had impressive loyalty.


	11. A Little Sideways

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura's trip to the library leads to a sobering truth about the society they live in. 
> 
> The Sunan Royals try their best to rule out suspects in a raise to save Gaara.

Ino found herself sprinting through her living room after leaving Sai waiting in the backyard's corral. Instead of giving him a chance to make her mother suspicious with his awkward mannerisms, she'd briefly introduced him as "Sakura's friend Sai who came to help" and shoved him outside, daring him to move before she got back.

Sakura tended to treat him like a child she happened to be babysitting, and not like the highly trained fighter that he was. The more Ino interacted with him, the more she saw that while he was genuinely naïve about most things, there was still a certain…hidden ferocity. The day they met, he had ripped through dangerous terrorists. She double checked the backyard through a window just to make sure he hadn't moved.

Still there, rooted to the spot. Ducking away from the window as he turned around, Ino looked down at herself with a head shake. There was no way her new top should be the price she paid for harvesting plants. Imagining it covered in dirt and plant slime was enough to bring a tear to her eye.

She undressed as she went, jerking her top over her head before she even got to her room door. The skirt came next, and she stepped out of it as she hunted around for something she didn't mind risking. That ended up being a much more sensible combination of an orange t-shirt and workout shorts. Striking a pose in the mirror, Ino took a minute to admire her own reflection, proudly noting the sheen in her blond hair and the peony tucked behind her ear.

There was no reason she couldn't be cute just because she was doing yardwork. Trekking back downstairs, she skidded to an abrupt stop by the kitchen, gaping as she saw her mother talking amicably with one of her childhood friends. "Shikamaru?" The wall clock above the sink said it wasn't quite afternoon yet.

"Hey," he greeted in his usual drawl.

"I was just asking if there was anything I could get him." Tsubame beamed. "A beverage maybe? I wouldn't mind making snacks if you'd like some. Ino, why don't you go ask your other friend—Sai, was it? If he'd like anything."

"Mom," the blonde sighed. "We really don't have time for snacks right now. When Shikamaru gets some snacks in his system he's more likely to fall asleep and Sai's a loaner. I have to give him back by the end of the day."

"A loaner?" Tsubame asked, her serene face morphing in bewilderment. "He's not a possession, Ino." If only she knew what he _really_ was to Sakura.

Ino ignored her mom's chiding, smiling sweetly. "Anyway, you can leave it to us, Mom! You go ahead and finish up in the greenhouses."

"Well…as long as you three feel you have a handle on it I think I may do that. And Ino, remember they're helping us out, so try not to go overboard."

Shikamaru chuckled sardonically, opening his mouth until Ino clamped a threatening hand over it.

They watched the woman exit the kitchen, dawning an apron over her sundress and placing a straw sun hat on her head. The minute her mother was out of the room, Ino grabbed Shikamaru by the front of his shirt, glaring suspiciously into his dark eyes. "Spill." she hissed. "I know and you know you didn't get out of bed before noon to come and help me do yardwork out of the goodness of your heart."

Sucking his teeth, Shikamaru pried her fist out of his hunter green shirt, backing away for good measure. "It was Mom, okay? She heard the message you left on the house phone—thanks for that by the way— and told me if I didn't get up and come help, she'd have me on antler duty every day for a month."

Smirking, Ino laughed in his face. "Hah! Do you know how pathetic it is that the only thing that motivates you to do work…is the threat of even more work?"

"I don't need this…" Shikamaru grumbled. "I'm out," The minute he tried making a move for the front door, Ino had a grip on him again.

"Oh, no you don't. Your mom's wrath is one phone call away." The Nara grunted, and she tightened her hold. "So put on the apron and some gloves and let's go." Not waiting for him to drag himself to the hall closet, Ino began hustling him there herself with a hard shove to his back.

"Hey, hey, stop shoving. Don't I get a say in this?" he complained.

The apron that smacked him in the face was her answer. Sighing, Shikamaru tied it with a groan, watching Ino continue to rummage through the closet and produce two more aprons, several pairs of gloves, and some towels. "All that just to harvest some dumb plants?"

"It gets messy." She explained, putting on her own apron, "You'll thank me later."

_XoXoXo_

Later turned out to be pretty soon.

The minute they were back in the yard and Ino briefly introduced the boys. Explaining what they'd been doing, she carefully snipped the first gourd down from its stalk and instructed Sai to use the gardening tools to carefully crack and pry it open. Shikamaru sat in the grass with a pile of towels at his side, blinking lazily up at the sky.

Sai did as he was told, hitting the side of the gourd in the place Ino showed him with the small chiseling tool. When it started to split he stuck his fingers in the cracks and pulled it apart. Astoundingly, a small lamb unfurled from the depths of the gourd, covered in the plant's slimy green secretion as it took its first breath.

"Baah!" The jaguar found himself taking a minute to watch the creature try to stumble its way onto its feet, musing that, as an apex predator, if he had less restraint, it could easily become his prey. But, that was the last thing on his mind. His master had dropped him off to lend assistance. And if he failed to do that, he'd be failing her. A good Summon didn't fail their master, no matter the size of the task.

"Hand it off to Shikamaru, quick!" Ino instructed, already snipping another gourd off the large stalk. "They're faster than they look and it doesn't take them long to start—" As Sai was reaching for the little lamb, it leapt into the air with a hearty cry, and he lost his balance, falling face first into the grass. Bleating its triumph, it bounced off the back of his head, and he lifted his face in time to see it dash away.

"Damn it!" Ino hissed, fresh gourd still in hand. "Catch it!" Removing the blades of grass from his mouth, Sai sat up and brushed himself off, laser focused on his quarry. Fairly quickly, the lamb, now speckled in dirt as well as the sticky green fluid, had moved across the expanse of yard and was grazing under a large sycamore tree. Its back was turned and its attention was engrossed in the lush green treat of the grass. Stealthily, Sai slunk forward, eyes trained on its wiggling tail as he prepared to strike.

A slow breeze shifted the branches of the sycamore and, possibly scenting him, the lamb picked up its head. Sai watched its hocks stiffen, saw it tense up as he sprang, grasping the crying newborn firmly in hand and bringing it to the stunned teenagers waiting for him.

"What the hell was that?" Shikamaru asked as Sai deposited the little lamb into his arms. Even as he set to work, rubbing it down with the towel, he was eying the shifter critically.

" _That_ was quality lamb wrangling in action." Before he could so much as turn, there was another gourd being hefted into his arms, curtesy of the blonde fae. "Good job, Sai. Only about two dozen more to go."

"Two _dozen_." Shikamaru repeated flatly, coming back from depositing their first lamb into the corral. Gracelessly, he felt back into the grass, his narrow eyes watching puffy white clouds drift through a blue sky. "That's two dozen more than I signed up for."

"You've got one job," his friend retorted. "Sai's really doing the hard part. So suck it up!"

* * *

Sakura leafed through the text in frustration, setting the moderately heavy autobiography down on her knees. Interesting though it may have been, it was really no help to her situation. Out of all the books she and Naruto had found, none of them turned out to be as promising as she'd hoped. Then again, it was still a public library, and the intricacies of Summon and Summoner connections weren't exactly common knowledge to the majority of the population.

She should've suspected it wouldn't be that easy to come across what she wanted. "Everything I found has this really annoying pattern," she whispered in a huff. "It's all either some Summoner trying to sell their story like they're a celebrity, or it's a case studies that talk more about the Summoner's life after a bond was broken. Most of them had some nausea that passed and got better suited Summons…doesn't say if their old ones turned out okay. Not many of these have balanced sides, you know?"

There wasn't even so much as a sympathetic hum from Naruto, and when Sakura glanced up from the corner of her eyes, she saw the blonde staring off at nothing, eyes drooping, and the hint of drool starting to slip past his lips.

His head was almost falling on her shoulder as he sat beside her, cross-legged on the library's carpeted floor, the flat of his palm the only thing keeping him from slumping into her completely. He must have been trying at _some_ point, because there was a book strewn across one of his knees, and when Sakura snatched it up, she saw it opened to the first page. The first page! He wasn't exaggerating when he said studying wasn't his thing.

"Naruto," she grumbled, nudging him. "What happened to doing everything you could to help, huh?"

Blinking rapidly, the kitsune stretched with a groan. "Whassat? Oh, um, sorry Sakura-chan. Guess I dozed off there…hehe."

"Yeah," Sakura rolled her eyes. "No kidding." Closing the book in her lap and putting it on a stack of others, the pink-haired girl climbed to her feet, dusting her hands off. "Anyway, none of these really helped me. I still don't know what would happen to Sai, and until I do I can't proceed."

More alert, Naruto's blue eyes wandered to a spot over her shoulder, and she looked behind her, finding nothing but more books. "What?"

"I was just thinking, maybe we shoulda asked for help from the start, ya know? There's always an old lady librarian around _somewhere_."

Stereotypes aside, Sakura had to face-palm at the obviousness of the suggestion. It was true that she could have probably avoided a great deal of fruitless searching and disappointment if she'd made a beeline to the information desk first. But that would have likely come with a host of other issues, such as the questioning stare and maybe even uncomfortable questions. She wasn't out for common knowledge after all. "Now that you mention it…it's better than spending another hour looking high and low just to come up with nothing."

"Yep!" Standing up to join her, he motioned with an arm down the center of the aisle. "Lead the way."

Sakura was too embarrassed to tell him that this wasn't the library she'd normally come to, but the one she had chosen biggest it was the largest in town and therefore bound to have the most varied selection of obscure topics, or so she'd hoped. She was no more well versed in the library's layout than he was. There were only two times she'd been there in the past, and both had been to pick up books she'd called to reserve ahead of time over the phone. On the first floor.

Squaring her shoulders, Sakura attempted to make it look like she had even the slightest idea where she was going, stumbling to find the information desk. Naruto was happy to follow behind her, whistling a jaunty tune she'd never heard. A part of her wanted to tell him whistling in a quiet library was inappropriate, but no one else seemed to be paying it any mind with their headphones on as they peered at computer screens, or behind the thick glass walls of study rooms, so she let it go.

It probably wasn't very long, less than sixty seconds, but as Naruto kept making noise, she couldn't help the burgeoning curiosity. "What's that?" she asked absently, simultaneously on the lookout for, and she was ashamed to admit it, a little old woman.

"Huh?" Naruto stopped whistling.

"What're you whistling?" she clarified.

"Oh," he laughed. "Just a song from Uzushio. It's about Kurama the Kyuubi. He's supposed to be our ancestor."

Sakura nodded, remembering the compendium mentioning something similar. Kurama was…a giant kitsune that stood taller than mountains with eyes the color of fresh spilt blood and a ferocious snarl. One impressive customer, to say the least. There was still so much she didn't know about yokai and other supernatural species, and when she had time, Sakura wanted to pour over the book again and see what other information she could absorb. Asking Naruto some non-intrusive questions about kitsune culture wouldn't hurt either—

"I think that's the librarian." Said fox's finger being thrust into her field of vision drew her attention to a desk situated toward the back of the large room, half-hidden behind rows of shelves. The woman sitting and scanning books wasn't the wrinkled old lady Naruto (and secretly she) was expecting, but instead a younger woman hardly past thirty with well-kept black hair down her back and stylish green glasses. The gaggle of children crowded around the front of the large oak desk giggled as she handed them each several colorful picture books with a professional smile. "Be mindful of return dates." she warned.

"Thank you," they all chorused, darting off with excited chatter about what to read first.

"No running please!" she called after them. Sakura and Naruto watched them slow down minutely as the passed, one bumping into the blonde.

"Oh, careful, okay?" The boy's whiskers stretched as he gently patted the child's head with a grin. Clutching the books in his hands tight to his chest, the small boy shyly nodded, speed walking to catch up with his friends.

Sakura glanced at Naruto fondly as they approached the librarian together, the woman looking up at them from behind her glasses with the same tight expression of professionalism.

"May I help you?" Her tone suggested she wished they'd answer in the negative.

Anxiety washed over Sakura as she chewed at her lip briefly. From the corner of her eye she saw Naruto give her an encouraging thumbs up and a fox-like grin. "S-Summon…" she squeaked, mentally cursing herself.

"I'm sorry young lady," the librarian lifted a fine eyebrow, "But you'll have to be a little clearer if you'd like my help."

Shaking the nerves off, Sakura cleared her throat. "I'm looking for any books on the after effects of nullified Summoner and Summon contracts." her voice was more confident now as she continued, "Especially for the Summons."

The disaffected expression lingered on the librarian's face, making Sakura feel antsy, anticipating unwanted questions. Finally, the woman expelled a deep sigh and started typing on her computer. After a tense minute, she lifted her head from the screen and adjusted her glasses needlessly. "Any books we have on that _oddly specific_ topic would be in our section regarding magical tools."

The expression of gratitude the pinkette had been ready to give died on her lips. Baffled, she turned to Naruto, who hadn't seemed to absorb the words any better than she had. "Magical…tools? Um no," she shook her head with a nervous laugh. "I'm looking for information on how _Summons_ —"

"And as I said," the librarian cut in. "You'll find what you're looking for filed under the magical tool category, if we have it at all."

A warm hand found its way to her shoulder as Naruto dragged her back, sad understanding in his blue eyes. "Don't you get it, Sakura-chan?"

The girl's mouth fell open, her hands balling into fists as she rounded on the librarian now watching them in boredom. The bookkeeper didn't bother denying Naruto's implication. "That doesn't even make sense!" Sakura challenged. "A magical tool is a pair of enchanted scissors or a projection pen…a Summon—"

"Essentially serves their Summoner in the same way a tool would serve its purpose in an office, home or construction sight." The librarian explained primly.

Sakura could feel her body starting to quake. All the dread she'd been feeling was replaced by outrage, and her feet brought her closer to the desk instinctively. All she could see was the brand on Sai's tongue, and the expectations of abuse as a Summon she continuously had to reassure him weren't going to happen anymore. "That's disgusting!" she spat. "The city should be ashamed of itself to have a library that promotes this kind of discrimination. I—"

"Sakura!" Naruto's voice calling her name, sans endearment, coupled with the way his strong arms had locked around her waist to drag her back, momentarily quelled her rage. For the first time since approaching her, the librarian wore an expression other than disinterest.

Fear. Her wide brown eyes were glazed in fear, Sakura realizing belatedly that her voice had been rising. Others had heard the commotion she was making and peered warily from behind shelves or looked up from their computer screens.

A hot flush of shame colored her face. She could barely manage looking into the woman's face as she offered a shaky frown. "S-Sorry. I'm just…I'm…we'll leave." Breaking out of Naruto's grip, Sakura spun in the direction of the stairs, ignoring his hurried footsteps as she made her exit.

* * *

He relished the first bite of the hotdog more than he cared to admit. Such a simple food, but not nearly as common for desert dwellers. Less so for a prince, who had grown up always having his meals prepared by the family's elite team of chefs. Nothing so unworthy as street food passed royal lips, except the handful of times he had snuck out with his siblings in disguise and they roamed the city together.

Gaara had barely taken a second bite when a body crashed into his, causing him to stagger back, hotdog slipping from his grasp and falling to the pavement. The prince took a minute to stare at his empty hand, fingertips lightly coated with the chili that had been on his meal. Eyes narrowed menacingly, his hooded gaze fell on the fool who'd dared to knock him, fingers twitching.

The breath hitched briefly in his lungs when he saw the same pink-haired girl who had been in his thoughts on and off, right there in front him. Those clear green eyes were wide in surprise, cheeks flushed darkly before her mouth opened and she started spewing almost unintelligible apologies. "I'm sorry!" she knelt on the pavement, hand shaking as she scooped up his ruined food and placed it back in the little paper tray it came in. "Er, you can't eat this now, c-can you? Here, let me buy you another one…" Not waiting for a response, she started to rummage into the bag slung across her body, presumably in search of money.

"Sakura-chan, you can't run off when you're upset like that." Gaara's attention was drawn to a blond male that had apparently followed her out of the library. Come to think of it…where was her Summon? And… as the blonde drew closer he discreetly sniffed—kitsune—why did she only seem to hang around shifters and yokai?

"Sorry," she said yet again. "The good news is I didn't storm into traffic. The bad news is…I made someone drop their lunch." Sakura motioned to him, flashing a tiny smile that didn't reach her eyes as she tried to give him some money. "This should be enough, right? Sorry about that."

Gaara still couldn't find anything to answer with, but he hesitated on taking the money, pride keeping his free hand down at his sides. The blonde crowded in close, eying him from head to toe. The disguised redhead had no problems doing the same, nose crinkling disapprovingly at the vibrant color of his clothing, and paying attention to the brilliant blue of his eyes and the distinctive whiskers on his cheeks. Despite thinking he had never seen the boy before in his life, there was something subtlety familiar about him.

"This is weird but, have we met?" Sakura asked, squinting closer at his face. Gaara twitched imperceptibly, momentarily wondering if his illusion had dropped. That was irrational, he decided. His hair was still the dull blonde of his disguise and his eyes were still cinnamon brown. He'd even slightly altered his physique for extra precautions, making himself taller and lankier than his true body type. If this girl really could see the flawless illusion of his tanuki magic, then she was truly special, even apart from being a Summoner.

"No," he grunted, finding his voice at last. "Never met you before. Never plan on meeting you again,"

Intent on stepping around her, he was instead stopped by a firm grip on his shoulder. He glared at the blonde and was met with an equally challenging glare in return. "What's with the attitude? You normally this friendly?"

Shrugging away, Gaara ignored him, walking past them yet again. Long strides carried him farther, but a tug on the back of his jacket nearly made his sand activate and he turned with an annoyed scowl. His nostrils flared and he got a deep breath of her scent, tinged with a mildly noxious sickliness he hadn't noticed before.

Was she…?

No, that wasn't his problem.

"You still didn't let me pay you for the hotdog!" she huffed, holding out the money again.

"Don't need it."

Sakura paused, eyes flitting across his face. "I…I swear we've met before."

"And I'm telling you we haven't." he said, more forcefully this time, already on the move. He'd wondered if she was just in a feisty mood that day in front of the supermarket, but now he had confirmed she was _always_ this stubborn.

"Forget him Sakura-chan," the blonde suggested. "He's a jerk."

"I've been meeting a lot of those lately." she grumbled.

Gaara was glad that neither tried to stop him as he blended in with a crowd as they crossed the street.

* * *

Kankuro sat up attentively as his sister ushered in the cloaked figure of the person who'd agreed to help them. The scent surrounding them was familiar, and when the hood was tugged down he knew why. "Oh, Matsuri?" The brown-haired prince laughed a little, sighing in relief. "You could have just said so, Temari. Didn't have to be so cryptic."

"It's nice to see you again, too, Kankuro." Matsuri teased. "I wish we were all here for a reunion, though."

"Yeah," Kankuro rolled his eyes. "We know you'd rather be seeing Gaara, you can just come out and say it." The upbeat expression on her face faltered, and Kankuro winced. "S-Sorry…"

"It's why I'm here. We can't exactly dance around that." He and Temari watched Matsuri delicately sit in a winged back chair, staring into her lap. "Temari explained everything up to this point and, really, I'm just glad he's alright."

Honestly, he was torn between pity and admiration for the young girl. The engagement between herself and Gaara had been a political move by their father, one that eventually was called off. While his little brother had come to care for her, it had never been in the same way she cared for _him_. Still, here she was, ready to help. "So you're definitely up for this?" Temari asked, more gentle than usual. "Because I can't emphasize enough that this is dangerous. It's espionage."

Matsuri nodded silently, the light making her fawn hair shine. "I know," she whispered. "My answer hasn't changed though. I'd do anything for Gaara, and for the two of you. If this is all I can do, then it's not an option to sit on my hands."

Temari's eyes glowed approvingly. "Alright, so then here's what you do. You're in a good position, which is why I came to you. That, and we know for sure you'd be willing to help where Gaara was involved…your father's on the council so he—"

The younger girl gasped. "Do you think he's in on it?! Do you think he'd hurt Gaara?" she fretted, sepia eyes wide in horror.

"He's a stubborn coot." Kankuro soothed, leaning forward in his seat. "Probably wouldn't be swayed to turn against the crown that easily either. But yeah, everyone's basically a suspect…so be prepared to find some uncomfortable things."

"We'll put a mic on you," Temari explained. "You don't have to jump into anything heavy. But if you could manipulate the way your dad interacts with the other council members, we'll have our traitor trapped in no time. And then it's payback." The blonde smirked. "I'm gonna—"

"Easy Temari," her brother cut in. "Let's catch them before we decide how we're gonna _kill_ them. Matsuri, me n' Temari'll feed you some information to get the ball rolling with conversation. This starts tomorrow. There's a council meeting regarding Temari's coronation then and we figure whoever manipulated events and framed Gaara's gonna be in the room to make sure things go as planned."

Matsuri looked down at her hands, tightly clutching the chair. ' _Gaara…_ '

Determined, she lifted her head with a confident smile. "It's a lot to take in, but yeah, let's catch our sneak."

She stuck out her hand and waited. When the royal siblings only exchanged confused glances she wiggled her fingers a little. "Come on, let's put our hands in the middle."

Temari shrugged, standing and placing her hand on Matsuri's warm one. "Well, what're ya waiting on? Get over here and join the team." she chided. Though shaking his head, Kankuro placed his hand on top of the girls'.

* * *

Sakura walked up Ino's drive to find a certain shifter sitting on the front steps with a glass of what she could only assume was Mrs. Yamanaka's lemonade. Aside from a dirt smudge on his cheek, Sai was none the worse for wear, though he was at her side in an instant upon sight. "Long day?" she teased.

Her Summon lifted one shoulder. "It passed quickly. You look more exhausted than you should be…the pursuit of knowledge isn't something I took to be literal. Was I wrong…?"

Sakura fingered a lock of her hair with a weary sigh. "There was no actual pursuit involved, so no, you weren't wrong. Let's just say I didn't find what I was hoping to at the library." Her little explosion she figured was okay to omit.

The front door popped open and her best friend stepped out into the late afternoon sunshine, dragging a vaguely familiar boy behind her. "Wow Forehead, you look like you came out on the losing end of a battle with a leaf blower. And why's your face so blotchy?"

Sakura pressed two fingertips to her right cheek and grudgingly acknowledged that they were warmer than they should be.

"So you really do bug all your friends like this, huh? Good to know it's not just me." The brunette leaned against the doorframe and fished around in his pocket, pulling out a lighter and taking a cigarette from behind his ear.

"Ugh," Ino smacked his arm, snatching the cigarette away to crush under her heel just before he could light up. "Knock it off with the smoking already! It's bad for your health and it's bad for my flower beds!" Turning back to her amused pink-haired friend, she placed one hand on her hip. "Sakura, you remember Shikamaru, right? He's the hopeless moron with a genius IQ that likes to cloud-watch all day."

"It's a hobby," he defended, no bite in his voice. "And I do puzzles and Shogi too, so there's that."

"It's been a while," Sakura nodded at Shikamaru, "But yeah. We met as kids." At first glance Shikamaru hadn't seemed to have changed much. There was still the same alertness to his brown eyes despite the disinterested slouch and half-frown that were ever present. Physically, he was the same too, aside from some added height since the last time she'd seen him. His brown hair was pulled into a ponytail vaguely reminiscent of pineapple leaves and his ears were still pierced. Although they couldn't be more different, the fae remembered that Ino and Shikamaru had known each other long before she'd even come into the picture. Their fathers, colleagues and longtime friends, meant that the two had grown up together and, formed a strange sort of friendship of their own.

"Hard to forget the hair…" he commented. "The tattoo is new."

"Not a tattoo; it's a seal. It happens sometimes for Fae Folk when we come of age." Sakura corrected, snickering. A tattoo on her _face_? Not likely. "Anyway, nice seeing you again."

"Same," Shikamaru agreed.

"You were a big help today Sai," Ino complimented, true gratitude in her eyes. "Couldn't have gotten all those lambs harvested without you. Feel free to stop by again sometime…with or _without_ Sakura." she winked.

"I'm not sure I should make a habit of straying from my master, but thank you." Sakura couldn't help but snort as, yet again, Sai missed Ino's very obvious advances. It was true…there was something oddly endearing about Sai's strange mannerisms. When he wasn't invading her personal space or embarrassing her in public.

' _That's right…if I stop being his Summoner…we probably won't have a reason to cross paths anymore. He definitely won't be living with us…'_

Granted he hadn't been in her life long, but, for better or worse, the awkward shifter had made a noticeable impact. Ino liked him, and Sakura herself didn't quite _loathe_ him anymore. …Maybe…other different circumstances…he wouldn't have been such a bad Summon.

"Hey, you know, instead of you guys taking the bus again, I can take you home." Ino volunteered, glancing up at the sky. Before long the sun would be setting. Research at the library taking longer than she'd anticipated, not to mention Naruto'd insisted they have something to eat together before parting ways.

The blonde had been a big help, despite them not really finding anything. But that wasn't his fault, and his sheer enthusiasm to always spend time with her was flattering. Sakura hadn't minded indulging him, just for the day. The dramatically overjoyed expression that followed was only a bonus.

"If you're giving out free rides, then I guess I'll come too." Shikamaru murmured.

"Smoke in my car and I'll toss you out at the first light." Ino threatened. Well, knowing Ino it was more of a promise. An only child and the apple of her father's eyes, she tended to be a bit…

' _Spoiled.'_ Sakura finished mentally. _'She's your best friend but you're allowed to think it. She's spoiled. Well past rotten.'_ Inoichi, her father, was a good man, a kind man, but his daughter had him wrapped around her finger, and with his well-paying salary as one of the government's best Mentalists—a job that often involved some assignments off the books, from what she understood—he could afford to give his daughter lavish birthday gifts Like a cute baby blue sports car.

"Since you're offering, I'm not gonna turn it down." Sakura relented. Waiting at the bus stop after the day she'd had wasn't her idea of fun before sundown.

"Lemme go tell Mom I'm leaving and get my keys," Ino sprinted back inside, leaving the three of them awkwardly standing around after her.

"So," Shikamaru patted himself down, eventually finding yet another cigarette and successfully lighting it. "Would it be right to assume you're a Summoner now?"

The question threw her, his observation skills as sharp as ever. However, in light of the fact that he'd chosen to flagrantly defy Ino, she was more concerned for his safety than the discomfort of answering the inquiry. "It's not gonna be long. Are you really willing to risk her coming back out here to find you smoking?" Sakura gaped.

"I'll take my chances. I just need a few drags anyway," As if to prove his point, he finished the sentence with a deep inhale.

Fair enough. It was his funeral. "You're right..." Sakura said quietly, hands clasped in front of her. "I'm...well yeah, Sai's my Summon. And I've got Summoning magic, so technically I'd be a Summoner."

" _Technically_." Shikamaru agreed, gently tapping his cig against the wall of the house.

"My master is uncomfortable with questions regarding that topic." Sai informed him. The unspoken addition of a blunt, ' _So don't ask._ ' was well understood.

Sakura followed the path of the ashes that drifted down into Ino's flowerbeds. She frowned.

"Could you at least do that in a different direction?" Phrased as a question, but both of them knew it was just a quiet demand.

"It's fine. I'm done anyway." Shikamaru took one more puff and then threw the cigarette to the ground to smother under his foot.

Sakura didn't remember Shikamaru's race, but there was a good chance that one of his powers was clairvoyance. No sooner had he put it out than Ino returned, calling a goodbye back into the house.

"I really should go say something to your mom," Sakura said.

Ino put up a hand in dismissal. "Don't bother. She gets one look at you and we'll be here all night. You know how she gets when you come over...Anyway, let's roll..." Tilting her head back, the blonde daintily sniffed the air. "Damnit, Shikamaru!"

_XoXoXoX_

Sakura let herself out of the passenger's side, standing on shaky legs. "T-Thanks for the ride Ino." Sai joined her outside the car as they stood just outside the small gate to Tsunade's house.

The blonde silently peered into her face, which was probably an off shade of green. "Sakura...how much rest are you getting? In all seriousness you look a little...uh, discount knock-off right now."

Sakura felt her nose scrunch in retort. " _In all seriousness_? How do you start a sentence off 'in all seriousness' and then use a shopping analogy to tell your friend she looks like crap?"

"Stop fussing and go inside," Sakura tried to draw herself to her full height, but her vision blurred in and out, and she couldn't remember whether or not Sai had always been a twin suddenly.

"I've been a little...under the weather today." she admitted as her Summon came and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She didn't even protest at his close proximity, instead sagging against his body gratefully as hers continued to lose strength.

From the backseat, Shikamaru leaned forward to observe. "How long did you say you'd been a Summoner?"

"I didn't..." she reminded. "But...like, maybe a week and a half? I guess..."

"Huh." That was all he said.

Ino turned off the car and started to get out. "Come on Sai, let's get your stubborn Summoner to her room." Sakura shook her head stubbornly. _I'm fine._

Those were the words that should have left her mouth, but instead she heard herself omit a groan. "Circe, Sakura," Ino swore, looping her other arm around her shoulders. She was being dragged bonelessly to her front door, eyes fluttering open and shut.

"Hey," she said a little breathlessly, head light, feeling a bit giddy. "You know that trust test? Wh-where someone falls and...the other person has to catch them?"

"Master," Sai's voice was urgent in her ear, though farther away than she'd have thought.

"I think... we're gonna...play that..." Her world lurched and, the last coherent thought she processed was Ino's panicked scream was too loud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A commonly occurring question I get in reviews revolves around if Naruto and Gaara are still hosts to demons like they are in canon. Well, simply put, no. I wanted to fully utilize the fantasy AU, so having them be actual yokai essentially hosting yokai spirits (which Shukaku and the Kyuubi are both based off) seemed redundant. Naruto is an actual kitsune. Gaara is an actual tanuki. They are not human. And so we're clear, neither is Sakura—she has fae heritage on both sides, which will be explored in chapters to come. But both these creatures are well known for their shapeshifting abilities in lore. Tanuki can even shift not just between human and animal form, but also into inanimate objects of all kinds. So, it wouldn't be hard to imagine that Gaara belonging to such a race/species means he can easily manipulate his appearance to blend in while on the run. Similarly, if Naruto wants to use his innate kitsune abilities to cast illusions (more on that later) for his pranks, that's not something that takes much effort. Now as for if and when the bijuu from canon will come around, I will leave that a surprise for now.


	12. Room for One More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip to the hospital.

The room was too small, but here he was. White walls with neutral blue ticking, white tile, white sheets on the bed… The equipment everywhere? White. The clock with its almost imperceptible ticking? White. The tray from the cafeteria left over from when Ino had a salad brought up…whi—

"Naruto?" his mother called softly. "I'm going for a snack. Want something?"

His eyes didn't leave the bed, Sakura prone and entirely too still. Even her scent, usually so warm and pleasant to him, was tinged with that stupid, persistent smell. Sick.

"No, 'm fine." Kushina sighed, not pressing it as she got up and slid the door shut behind her.

Ino looked up from her magazine. "You could come sit, you know. Just pull up a chair." Naruto stubbornly shook his head. No way could he sit still when he felt the way he did. It was why his mom hadn't even bothered to offer up her seat when she left.

"How long's it been?" he asked, voice gruff.

Sai, leaning into the bed's railing and peering solemnly into Sakura's face, didn't hesitate. "Two days, five hours, seventeen minutes and nine seconds…" Naruto was agitated, maybe even territorial about how close the shifter hung around her. But what could he do? Sai was her Summon, not him. And in her declining state, she definitely needed her Summon close by.

No matter what anyone said, a large part of it felt like this was on him. She collapsed on the same day he met her at the library, and he knew back then that her scent was all off. Maybe he couldn't have pinpointed the problem, but he could've been more persistent about it. She would've fussed at him, probably, but he'd take that over seeing her lying unconscious in a hospital any day.

"She's stable." Ino reminded. "It…it looks bad, but Forehead's not checking out on us that easily."

"I hate the way she looks." Tsunade had brought some of Sakura's clothes from home, and the nurses had changed her into them—comfortable pajamas— so at least she wasn't in a horrible white gown. That wasn't enough to block out that…smell that tainted her natural scent though.

A constant reminder that her magical core was failing her and there was nothing he could really do. People wanted to give him soft smiles, pretend because she was stable it wasn't as bad as it _was_. But Naruto was hardly as dumb to it all as they wanted him to be. Slowly but without question, Sakura was…was…slipping.

"Oh, you kids still in here?" The door opened, Tsunade and Jiraiya walking through. His blue eyes landed on Sakura's godmother first. The witch could try and hide it, but she looked worse for wear, seeing the pinkette's condition taking a toll on her too.

"You know you need to go home soon, Naruto." Jiraiya told him.

He blinked, surprised. "Eh, how come? Mom and Dad are fine with me being here. Just ask 'em."

The oni tilted his head knowingly. "Get much sleep lately?"

At the mention of the word, the young kitsune felt a yawn fighting its way past his lips. "Plenty. I mean," he backtracked when Jiraiya began shaking his head. "It's not like I can't bounce back."

"Nobody's doubting _that_." His godfather chuckled a bit. "But that's not really the issue either. You know how you get when you're cooped up. It's really not good for any of you kids."

Ino's voice joined his in protest, and Sai lifted his head in a rare display of defiance by glaring.

"Now, now…he makes a point, doesn't he?" Everyone in the room quieted, Tsunade turning around as she stepped aside to admit a silver-haired man with round spectacles and a pristine white coat. The doctor. Oddly enough, his smell suggested he was human. A strange thing to be for someone who was a specialist in illnesses involving magical cores.

Naruto bristled, unsure why the man made him uneasy, but willing to be quiet if only because this person was helping Sakura. "You kids have been here pretty diligently, hm?"

"Dr. Yakushi," Tsunade regarded the man with a tight nod. If Naruto didn't know better he'd say granny thought he was off too. "What's the word?"

Clearing his throat, Dr. Yakushi Kabuto flipped open the manila chart in his hands. "Right. Sorry about the wait, but the tests we ran the day she was admitted came back a little inconclusive…even in this department, this isn't something we see every day."

"Sakura's always been exceptional," Tsunade's smile was fractionally bitter as she took up Kushina's empty seat to brush away some of the girl's pink bangs. "So that doesn't surprise me."

"I have to say, I've been treating ailments relating to magical cores for almost fifteen years now. Nothing like this has presented itself. Magical depletion and magical overstimulation are two of the more common issues we see. But the coils of her core are in perfect working order." The doctor lifted his head from the file, and his glasses caught the light and obscured his dark eyes. "I know you told us it probably had something to do with the Summoning magic she recently came into, but we had to check and rule out some classic factors first."

"Then give it to us straight, why don't'cha?" Naruto found himself snapping.

" _Naruto_ ," Ino hissed.

Dr. Kabuto took it in stride. "My apologies. We medical professionals really don't know how to be anything other than long-winded, sadly. So let me be more blunt." Adjusting his glasses, he motioned to the sick, sleeping girl. "Summoning magic is rare, which we all know. And for that reason, it's still not fully understood inside and out, though we've been making strides for decades. Sakura comes from a family with potent magic, typically passed down the matrilineal line."

Kabuto tilted his head expectantly, eyes darting to Tsunade. "You're not biologically related though…"

"No," the witch shook her head. "Mebuki, her mother, was supposed to be here by now." The blonde woman's voice took on a hard edge. "I called her again this morning and she assured me they're on the way." No one missed how tightly Tsunade's fingers found purchase in the chair's arms.

"Mm." Accepting it with a small shrug, the man moved on. "Matrilineal inheritance isn't uncommon in Fae Folk when it comes to the core. The problem is, while her magical potential is extraordinary, her core is nothing special. Too much power flowing through an electric socket makes it short circuit, no? Thus, evolution has been able to accommodate this by matching those like Sakura with those who have the potential to act as living conduits."

Sai turned his attention to the doctor, his arms still gripping the silver railing. Naruto could almost _smell_ his brain thinking in overdrive. Sai was somebody he had a hard time getting a true read on, and that made trusting him hard. Right now, the were-jaguar seemed oddly vulnerable, despite his face being blank. It was just a feeling but maybe…he had some regrets of his own. A Summon lived to protect their master. Sakura's condition had to be concerning to him on some level.

"The burden is halved, normally. Both sides receive benefits in a symbiotic process and that's that. Sometimes, the bond takes some time to stabilize, and there are kickbacks in the meantime."

"Then shouldn't Sai be having the same problems Sakura is?" Ino questioned, her magazine completely abandoned as she smoothed her skirt and uncrossed her legs.

"I _did_ say this isn't like what we normally deal with here."

"It's not the bond that's failing," Jiraiya guessed. "She needs another Summon."

"That's the most likely solution." Kabuto confirmed, tapping his foot. "We could have handled this with artificial means previously, but in Sakura's case…due to the delicate nature of her condition, taking on just one Summon somehow accelerated the process." Sharp, hot anger welled up inside Naruto, and he ground his teeth.

Sai was staring up at the wall above Sakura's head, oblivious to the tension in the room, or uncaring to how it was all largely his fault. He still remembered Sakura's meltdown in the library. She never wanted to be a Summoner so soon. Sai forced it on her, and now she was the one in pain.

"All this feels like everyone's overreacting…" Naruto felt his clenched jaw slacken, eyes wide in disbelief. Sakura coughed, feebly attempting to lift herself up in bed. Sai responded immediately, pushing at her pillows to until they were arranged as extra cushioning. The room was hushed, no one really sure what to say. Hesitantly, Naruto finally joined the crowd around the bed from the corner.

His feet moving slow and his arm outstretched, he went to her. "Sakura…" was on his lips, and when she heard him, jade eyes lifted and found his. The explosion in his chest that followed had him reeling. How could that pair of eyes looking directly at him make him so happy, just like that?

"You stuck around?" she smiled gently.

Suddenly bashful, he met eyes with Jiraiya, his godfather only adding to his embarrassment by looking utterly amused at the blush tinting his skin. "I…I had to. When I found out what happened…I couldn't just go."

"Yeah, and trust me, I kinda wished he did," Ino joined in, rolling her eyes in an attempt to hide her own relief. "You sure know how to pick 'em. _Really_ loyal or _really_ annoying—or both."

"And that aside, what exactly went through your head when you decided to hide that your symptoms were coming back, and worse than before?"

Sakura, knowing she was caught, plucked at her blankets, trying to shrink into them. "I had it under control…" she mumbled.

"Oh, like hell!" Tsunade barked, honey eyes narrowed dangerously. Sakura flinched, thoroughly scolded by the weight of her guardian's disappointment. The Senju noticed too, leaning over and carefully taking her in a hug. "This isn't the end of it, but I'll let it go…for now."

Relieved, Sakura slumped against her pillows with a tired smile. "So," she looked up at her doctor expectantly. "How bad is this? Right now I feel sort of…numb."

Dr. Kabuto clicked his teeth, tapping his pen against the charts in his hand as he took up a free seat. "You're stabilized, but I wouldn't say out of the danger zone. Truthfully, the sooner you can get in to the Regulatory Council for Magical Management and get a matching, the sooner we can get control of the situation. I can write you a referral, get you in as soon as you're discharged."

The vulnerability on Sakura's face was plain to see as she looked around at everyone. "Uh…yeah. I mean, I'd be matched with someone the Council picked for me, right?"

"Someone deemed to be compatible with you, going by the test results and the available potential Summons in their system, yes." Kabuto's eyes almost twinkled beneath his glasses. "Any Summon would be lucky to have such a powerful Summoner, hm?" An uneasy feeling settled in the too-small space, the doctor raising himself up again. "Please get some rest. I'll send the nurses in to check your vitals, and we may need to run another test now that you're awake."

When his back was turned, the fox made a face at him.

His mom was stepping into the room at the same time the doctor was stepping out, and they almost bumped shoulders. "Whoops, sorry 'bout that." Kushina grinned, gripping what looked to be a bowl of noodles.

"No worries," The man waved it off, closing the door and leaving the redhead to take in the awkward atmosphere.

"So…" she drawled. "What'd I miss?"

* * *

Knowing the adults and Sakura had a lot to discuss, Ino volunteered to drag the boys out of the room and down to the cafeteria. It almost didn't work. She thought she'd have to physically pick Sai up and carry him away from his master's bedside, but Tsunade ingeniously had suggested they go down and bring up some food for Sakura. The boys had—grudgingly—agreed to _that_.

It didn't mean she liked being stuck in the middle though. Whatever bad mood was hanging in between them, followed into the elevator, which Naruto reached first. Normally, she'd appreciate the polished marble and the gold panel housing the rows of buttons. But standing between the two males, Ino had all the enthusiasm of someone preparing to climb in a coffin.

She watched Naruto jab the button with more aggression than was strictly necessary, sighing as the doors opened and climbing in first.

Once again, she found herself between them both, an aggravated Naruto and a stone-faced Sai. "Sakura's been out of it for two days. I think something light should be good." She announced.

"She really likes anmitsu." Sai said after a beat.

Ino smiled a little. "She tries to hide it, but Sakura's got a real sweet tooth. I was thinking more along the lines of a sandwich, but if they have it, anmitsu would be a nice surprise."

Naruto clicked his teeth, and Ino rounded on him, fed up. "You got something to add, or are you just gonna stand there and think at us?" Idly, Ino thought about reading his mind for the hell of it, but with the sour mood practically dripping off him, there was no need.

Naruto lifted his head, eyes blazing. "You're her best friend, right? So how can you pretend like most of this isn't _his_ fault?" Ino stepped away from the accusatory finger he jabbed in Sai's direction. Her skin was prickling with the rising ire in the elevator, and yet Sai plastered on a smile so calm and detached it sent a shiver through her.

Sai's eyes flickered to Naruto. "I don't expect you to understand. You don't exactly have a Summoner of your own, do you Naruto-kun?"

Ino winced, feeling the sting of the blow. "Hey, that was uncalled for—" Her voice ended in a shriek when the fox pinned an arm against Sai's throat, rocking the entire elevator with so much force it lurched to a stop. Right there between floors.

"You," Naruto shook, a growl rumbling from somewhere deep in his chest. "Sakura's dying because of you! She's been terrified this whole time and putting on a brave face." Ino's blue eyes widened in panic as she watched him apply more pressure, afraid he'd really snap the shifter's neck in his rage.

"Hey!" she grabbed at his arm. "Hey!"

Ignoring her, the angered yokai continued, "Did you ever ask her what she wanted? Did it ever even matter to you?" Sai's didn't flinch, the only sign of his discomfort the twitch of his cheek.

Yet he didn't try and fight him, meeting the angry blue eyes head on. He sucked in some shallow breaths, lips barely moving as he spoke. "No,"

Naruto brought a clawed hand slashing up at Sai's face and Ino screamed. Acting quickly, she let her magic stimulate the vined bracelets wrapped up her arms. They grew thicker, binding Naruto's arm in the nick of time.

Unable to strike him, the kitsune settled for pressing his other arm tighter to Sai's windpipe. Openly choking, the jaguar closed one eye in pain, fighting to speak. "…N-Not…at first." Ino felt Naruto's muscles loosen, just enough so the shapeshifter could breathe better. "I didn't care. I just knew I was dying. That shouldn't have even mattered to me. I was taught that any of us are expendable, always. But I clung to life, and that caused me to make a selfish choice." Slowly, Naruto released him, and Ino in turn released Naruto. "Having this," Sai pointed to his Limiter, "I know what a Summon is supposed to be now. A partner their Summoner can rely on."

"I don't like it," Naruto groused. "But…Sakura-chan needs you."

"Thank you for your blessing, Naruto-kun."

Bristling, the blonde glared half-heartedly. "Oi, don't go that far!"

The elevator whirred loudly, starting up again. Thoroughly fed up after less than ten minutes alone with the two, the fae found herself slumping to the cool marble floor. Putting her head in her hands, Ino let out a contained scream. "This is _not_ the kind of boy drama I had in mind."

When the ding signaled they had arrived in the lobby, she stood up, dusted herself off, and completely shoved them both out of the way.

Sharing confused glances, the boys followed, watching Ino try to put as much distance between herself and them as possible. Though they easily kept up in spite of her best efforts, it marked just how less tolerant she was to their shenanigans compared to Sakura.

"Since you two have the combined maturity of a nose-picking five year old, listen up! Time for a little follow the leader, understand? We get the food." Ino lifted one finger in authority, glancing back to make sure they were still paying attention, "We get back upstairs…" She took a deep breath, her pale blues full of reproach, "And so help _you_ if you two decide to go at it again…" Apparently, just lifting and flexing her fingers at them was enough to drive the point home.

Chuckling nervously, Naruto snatched Sai by the shoulders and pulled him into an awkward hug. "Hey, friends fight sometimes, no need to bring violence into it." Ironically, he shook Sai roughly, whispering loudly, "Come on, Sai, tell her!"

"Um," Sai nodded, putting on another off-putting smile. "Naruto-kun is right. We've resolved our differences, which makes us friends?" Perfectly aware it was a ruse under the threat of bodily harm and that Sai hardly understood what was going on, Ino decided to temporarily let them off the hook.

"That's more like it," she smirked, in her element once more. "Move out, troops!"

People roaming the halls watched in amusement as a confident blonde girl strutted her way to the cafeteria, two boys following stiffly in single file behind her.

* * *

Moving away from traditional medicine to become a witch doctor was one of the best career choices she could have ever made.

That was reaffirmed whenever Tsunade had to set foot in a hospital. The clack of her heels echoing in the hall was audible even with the dull noise of doctors and nurses rushing around, talking urgently. She passed the nurse's station with a sigh, pulling her zipper up to her throat. "Damn hospitals…can't even keep it a decent temperature." She found herself complaining aloud.

The buxom witch stared dully at the top of the coffee cup in her hand. It might have been years since she'd last had hospital coffee, but she was willing to bet the taste hadn't improved. Regardless, it might at least warm her up inside. Tsunade took a sip, immediately fighting with herself not to gag. "Everything alright, miss?" A passing nurse glanced at her in concern, tone sugary sweet.

Licking away the stray drop in the corner of her mouth, Tsunade smiled. "Mm. Hit the spot." She lied. Even knowing it was the last thing she needed, she would have killed to get her hands on something… _stronger_.

The past two days had been a whirlwind. It started with hearing Ino yelling frantically outside the house, and leaving a customer in the middle of a transaction to find Sakura unconscious, supported by Sai while a frantic Ino babbled into her phone.

Finding out Sakura had been having worsening symptoms she'd hidden made her furious, but most of all it made her feel helpless. She should have noticed. How _didn't_ she notice? And in the midst of it all, her goddaughter had insisted she continue studying, dutifully practicing spells every day.

Guilt aside, Tsunade knew right away she had bigger problems. Sakura pulling through was priority number one. Next came dealing with Mebuki and to a much lesser extent, Kizashi. One hour with the couple and it was plain to see who deferred to who. The woman had a certain…detachment over the phone that Tsunade couldn't understand.

Being told a loved one's magical core was failing was a lot more serious than calling to say they were sent home sick with the flu. On the phone, the Haruno's blasé attitude might have sounded like indifference. But Tsunade was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Since taking her "proper place" in Fae Society, Mebuki had been hard to read. And her attachment and insistence to raising Sakura by the stringent rules of the Fae had chafed not only the woman's relationship with her own daughter, but with the witch who had once been something of an aunt to her.

Now she could only imagine what her reaction would be to her daughter being so potent in Summoning magic that she required not one, but multiple Summons to sustain it. ' _Ugh, the kind of conversation that shaves more years off me than the Byakugo._ ' Tsunade found Sakura's room door, noticing it was cracked when she'd closed it after leaving.

Advancing, Tsunade figured maybe the nurses had come back by and forgotten to close it. Jiraiya and Kushina had left shortly after the kids went downstairs, wishing Sakura well on their way out. So it wasn't either of them in there.

The small bit of optimism she'd held onto of it being hospital staff fizzled out at the sound of the familiar voice.

"And why wasn't this brought to my attention months ago?"

"Because, Mom, the last time I talked to you, you were going on about my Fairy Circle debut, and I couldn't get a word in edge-wise!" It was a rare thing for Sakura to raise her voice at an adult, or anyone in a higher position really, but Mebuki brought out a very contentious side to her daughter. Rightfully so, in Tsunade's unspoken opinion.

"Sakura, you're sixteen now. You can't keep pretending you'll be a child forever." Mebuki's voice was at once pitying and scolding. "You come from a proud Fae lineage on _both sides_ , and that's not something everyone can boast about nowadays. With the rise of…blood mixing."

Tsunade rolled her eyes, taking another sip of coffee and remembering too late it was terrible. This time she swallowed noiselessly, leaning against the wall and reminding herself to throw it out the first chance she got.

Sakura's loud, indignant scoff echoed out into the hall. "Mom, Ino's only half Fae and you never had a problem with me hanging around her!"

"Yes, well, you know how the Old Laws go. Fae are recognized predominately through the mother's side. And Ino's mother is full-blooded Fae, just like us. Therefore, her daughter is more Fae than not."

"Ugh, who cares anyway?" Sakura complained. "This isn't Avalon."

Mebuki sighed, long and low, her no doubt sensible pumps clacking across the floor as she stepped closer to Sakura. "When you're older, you'll understand why we try so hard to preserve our culture. Just because we're more secular than we use to be, it doesn't mean we should lose our heritage."

"I know," Sakura said impatiently. "I'm not…I'm not _ashamed_ of being Fae or anything. I get it; _preserving the past paves the way to the future_. That's what you always said." It was Sakura's turn to sigh. "But honestly Mom, I'm happy with my life here. I don't want to leave."

"We understand that, honey." For the first time since she'd walked to the door, Kizashi's voice drifted out. He always had left most of the arguing with his daughter to his wife, stepping in afterwards to smooth things over and put on the good-cop routine. "But you've…put us in a position to make a hard choice. Your health is what's most important and this scare means you clearly aren't taking care of yourself the way we thought you would."

Tsunade wondered how the Haruno's defined true wellness. Although she'd only been twelve when she arrived, Sakura had been balancing far more weight than the average middle-schooler.

On top of the mounting pressure of one day coming into the Summoning magic everyone had been suspecting she'd have since birth, Mebuki had her daughter attending three extracurricular clubs, going to high-teas, spending weekends at the Fae exclusive country club, and practicing her natural-born terra magic extensively with a private instructor.

All that, and Sakura was still virtually friendless and lonely. The Senju witch had figured the best thing she could possibly do for her goddaughter at the time…was just let her be a kid. That meant becoming certified to teach her at home, so she wouldn't face the pressures of going to school, where her Summoning potential made her spectacle to her classmates.

It helped. In time Sakura started coming into her own, gaining much needed confidence. Mebuki and Kizashi apparently underestimated just how far their girl had come. "And Tsunade…" Mebuki clicked her teeth derisively. "I'm even more disappointed in her than I am in you. We entrusted you to her, even knowing she'd put all kinds of _ideals_ we don't agree with into your head."

"At least she _listened_." Sakura defended. "I told you a long time ago I wanted to be a hedge witch, and I still do." Oh, Tsunade could just imagine the look on Sakura's face and the way the pinkette would cross her arms and lean back into her pillows with finality. Every bit as stubborn as Mebuki was—but liked to pretend she wasn't.

"And I told you this would happen." Her mother's voice came out flat, laced with mounting exasperation. "You're a Summoner now, Sakura, and we can't let you continue to live with a guardian who doesn't know your needs. Or encourage you to be your best—"

"Just stop, Mom!" Sakura yelled. "How do you know what my best is? You've only wanted me to follow one path my entire life, and it's _yours_. If you really wanted me at my best, you'd stop trying to force me into a mold and just let me _breathe_!"

The sharp sound of the slap that followed was unmistakable, and the witch clenched her cup so hard it crushed in her hand, luke-warm coffee dribbling down between her fingers.

"Sakura," Mebuki's voice was unnervingly quiet now. "Listen to me. _You. Need. To. Grow. Up._ When you've recovered, you'll move back home with us. And there won't be a tantrum. And there won't be a discussion. You'll bring your Summon or Summons or whatever else, and you'll come where we can keep an eye on you. Then, you'll finish your schooling and we can try to get you a job with the Regulatory Council of Magical Management's local chapter."

Bursting into the room with venom in her eyes, she found exactly the scene she was expecting to. Sakura's head bowed and her eyes wide in shock, Kizashi making an effort to look away slouched in his chair by the bed, sadness in his tired eyes and the start of some gray streaking in his dull pink hair. Mebuki was just lowering her hand, all business in her charcoal pants suit and efficient haircut. The Haruno family looked up, but only the blonde could keep Tsunade's eyes.

"Hello Tsunade," Mebuki greeted. "I trust you heard all that."

"She's not leaving this city unless she wants to, Mebuki. Sakura made her choice four years ago, and by now I thought you would've learned to respect it."

The frown lines in the corners of the blonde fae's mouth pulled taut, her lips sinking into a grimace. "I respect you Tsunade, and you have to know that; but you indulge Sakura way too much, and you'll ruin her if it doesn't stop. I gave my daughter four years away to get whatever rebellious phase she was going through out of her system. I was hoping that when she came into her magic and it was time for her to come home, she'd be more agreeable. This," Mebuki shook her head. "Is worse than I could've imagined."

"Sticking me in a dress and having me mix and mingle and pretend to be someone I'm not isn't going to make me change…" Sakura bit out, shoulders shaking.

Kizashi glanced helplessly between his wife and daughter, and Tsunade didn't feel the smallest sympathy. The choice should have been obvious, from where she was standing. "Dear," he crooned at Mebuki. "She's in the hospital, and this is clearly more stress than she needs. Let's just…give her some time to collect herself."

Mebuki regarded her husband, agreeing with a nod. "I did say when you recovered, but…if it'll help you come to terms with it, we'll give you two weeks after leaving here to say goodbye."

"…" Sakura glared into her sheets, ignoring the tear trickling down her red cheek.

Mebuki didn't make a move to approach her daughter again, and Tsunade knew it was for the best, since she probably wouldn't have let her. "I'm not asking you to understand our choices. Not today, tomorrow, or even a year from now. But one day…" Straightening, she collected her purse and smoothed her blazer.

She paused in front of the witch, regarding her silently. Her green eyes finally softened around the edges, and for a minute she looked remorseful. "Thank you, Tsunade."

Mebuki clacked her way out of the room with Kizashi at her side, the man giving his daughter a hopeful smile as he lingered in the doorway. "Please, Sakura, try not to worry about it…I'll…I'll talk to your mother."

The click of the door shutting nearly made Sakura jump, and when she met Tsunade's eyes, her green orbs were full of fresh tears.

"Just let it out," the older woman instructed kindly. Sakura hiccupped loudly, startled by the noise, putting a hand to her abdomen in surprise. Approaching with open arms, she let the small girl scoot closer until she was safely ensnared in a hug. Sakura's crying was almost hysterical, all the pent up, overwhelming things she couldn't voice flowing out through tears.

* * *

Ino, Sai and Naruto came back just as she'd come out of the bathroom with assistance from Tsunade. After crying as much as she could, her blotchy eyes and itchy nose had irritated her, so she took time splashing her face with warm water and coaching her reflection in the mirror. In a way it was therapeutic and she felt minimally better.

Each of the boys were holding cafeteria items she guessed were for her. Noticing her eyes, which were no doubt still faintly red, Ino smiled in genuine empathy, knowing to be tactful. But when Sai and Naruto lifted their heads and began scenting the air, Sakura's heart jumped. ' _Oh crap, I forgot about their stupid heightened senses…'_

The blonde's nose twitched, his face thoughtful like he could place the emotions behind the scent but not the reaction he was meant to have. Maybe considering her feelings in all of it, he came and plopped a sandwich and bag of chips into her lap. "Here ya go. Don't worry, I didn't bite out of it or anything!" he crowed.

"Thanks," She scooped up the sandwich and glanced down at the label. Turkey on wheat. Naruto beamed as though he'd fetched the sun for her, rubbing his nose. Sai shoved up beside him, pushing a bottle of melon soda into her hand.

"I didn't know what kind you liked, but I know you like sweet things best, so…"

Sakura giggled, her Summon's awkward gestures somehow grounding after the last few days she'd had. "This is fine, Sai, thanks." Popping the tab, she took a long, satisfying sip.

"Must be nice to give everybody a nice scare then sit back and stuff your face." Ino snarked, flouncing over and sitting herself near Sakura's feet. The harshness of the words didn't bother her, considering she knew her best friend enough to recognize the worry in her eyes.

"Good to see you again too, Pig." Sakura laughed, biting into her sandwich and instantly finding it to be the best thing she'd ever had. Well, two days with thin broths to keep her going would probably do that.

"Since you're all cozy in here," Tsunade stood, "I think I'll have a word with that doctor of yours. You three, make sure she doesn't overdo it, would you?"

"Yes ma'am!" Ino promised, all three saluting.

Sakura rolled her eyes, starting on her chips.

After the teenagers were alone, Sakura sat her food aside, brushing stray crumbs from her mouth. "I'm sorry…"

Instead of the lecture she was expecting, her best friend put her hands on her hips and leaned forward until their noses touched. "You gonna do it again?"

Sakura pretended to think about it. "Not sure. I'm not crazy about the hospital but being pampered isn't so bad. I'm starting to see the appeal."

Ino's cheeks puffed out and reddened, causing the pinkette to burst out laughing. "Calm down, Ino. We both know there's no way in hell I plan to end up here again if I can help it."

"What if you can't?" Green eyes met blue, Sakura taking in Naruto's uncharacteristically pensive expression.

"That's…I…you're making such a serious face over nothing." Sakura waved her hand around.

"It's not nothing!" Naruto protested. "It's serious, Sakura-chan! You could've…you could've…" Swallowing, the kitsune worked to get his emotions back in check before soldiering on.

Reaching up, she brushed a comforting hand over his arm. "I didn't. And I know what I need to do now." She took a moment to compose herself as well, brushing hair from her eyes in the absence of a hair tie. "Like it or not, I'm a Summoner, and that means I…I need Sai." She reached for the dark-haired boy, and when he came closer, she took his hand too. "And, I know it's a lot but...I need you too, Naruto."

Her head started to pound, dully at first and then more loudly as seconds ticked by. Naruto was looking at her, but seeing through her, his mouth wide in exclamation. "You don't know what you're saying…" he said slowly.

Sakura squeezed his hand tighter. "Yes I do! I trust you, Naruto. I trust you way more than I trust someone I don't even know, that the Council will decide to match me up with. If I have to tie myself to someone else, I want it to be a friend, not a stranger."

His blue eyes only got more clouded, her throat constricting when he tugged his hand away. "Yeah…you're my friend too. That's why…that's why I can't."

A weak laugh warbled from her throat. "W-What?" Despite his retreat, her hand still hung limp, the ghost of his larger one on her fingertips.

"I can't." he repeated, eyes pleading. "I'm sorry."

Sai, Sakura and Ino watched him shuffle out of the room abruptly, the confusion of his reaction a cloud in the air.

"And they say _girls_ are the ones with the mood swings?" Ino ranted. "I can't believe him! Not even an hour ago he was all super possessive, now he's just…just running away?!" Throwing her arms in the air, she stomped for the door. "I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind!"

Still gripping Sai's hand, Sakura shook her head. "No, Ino. It's not his fault. I asked something really selfish…" She let her head fall back against the pillows with a self-deprecating sigh. Just when she thought she's salvaged her life and patched over all the rough areas that popped up, her threads were unraveling in front of her eyes again.

"Naruto-kun only refused because he truly cares about you," Sai consoled her. "He's not running from you. He's running from himself."

That was why Sakura didn't have the heart to make him stay. Not long ago, she was doing the same thing.

* * *

Sasori's eyes weren't as mocking as they usually were. He studied her with all the casual interest of a tourist at a museum. "Long time no see, little girl." There was a piece of wood as big as a large parrot sitting in front of him, and it was meticulously carved into the shape of a scorpion. She watched Sasori open its back and insert…a very dubious looking vial. "Heard you almost bit it."

Sakura's grin was wry. "Some things never change, right? Glad to see that concern."

Chiyo's distinct cackle broke the strange mood as she hobbled into the front room. "Oh, that's just as honest as he knows how to be, my dear." She explained. "I came to see you once, but you weren't well enough for visitors yet. This one," she poked a broom at Sasori, "Worried in his own way, even asked after you."

"Hey," Sasori called. "Think fast, bat."

Sakura gaped as Chiyo lifted a hand and glinting strings attached to her fingers controlled a roughly three foot marionette. It kicked out with a twitch of Chiyo's fingers and intercepted the projectile that shot from the scorpion's tail.

Sai wandered out from behind her to observe the purple goop burning its way through the floor boards. "Sai…" she called warningly, dragging her curious Summon away.

"You see there?" Sasori smirked at her. "Some thing's _do_ change. Instead of just waiting for the old crone to die, I've taken a much more active role!"

"You've still got a long way to go if you plan to kill me." Chiyo taunted, her marionette clicking before falling to the ground lifelessly.

"That acidity's not bad…I'd say it'd burn through most hard plastics pretty well. But I do need to perfect it. And the reach is off." The younger tengu murmured, tinkering with his creation. Lifting his head, his eyes swept over all of them before he retreated into the back workshop.

' _As usual, stepping in here is mildly traumatizing.'_ Sakura decided.

With Sasori gone, Sakura was given Chiyo's undivided attention. "How are you, Sakura-chan?" The old woman found an ornate cloth and tossed it down over the burbling poison on the floor. "Are you sure you should be up and about?"

"I…I've got some pills in my bag." Sakura patted at her purse, "And I've got Sai. Nothing else is going to help except…" She lowered her head. "Another Summon."

"Aah," Chiyo frowned. "Surely you didn't come here for a divination about that. There's no uncertainty left to this matter, I'm afraid. My prediction has come to pass."

"I didn't mean to offend you back then," Sakura combed a nervous hand through her long hair. "I was scared, and—"

"Say no more, dear." Chiyo brought a bowl with a handful of hard candies and offered them some. "Take one? Clementine flavored."

Sai reached forward and plucked up one of the bright orange candies, smelling it. Sakura watched on as he popped the whole thing into his mouth, wrapper and all.

" _Sai_ , _no_!" Moving behind him, Sakura was prepared to wrap her arms around him and wack the candy from his mouth, but he spit it out into his hand on his own.

"That didn't taste anything like a fruit…"

"You take the plastic _off_ first!"

Chiyo giggled, eyes squinting in mirth. "My, my…truly a cat."

"Sai's idiocy aside," Sakura cleared her throat. "I came because you know what's happening to me," she wrung her hands together, "And I thought you might know who my other Summon…o-or Summons are supposed to be. I have an appointment to get matched at the RCMM tomorrow, and I just want to make sure I'm not making a mistake."

"Hm…" Chiyo tapped a finger to her chin. "Honestly, I think it might be better to forgo consulting with the cards on this one."

"B-But—"

"These things work out in some unexpected ways, and sometimes the fates don't want their surprises ruined." She winked, ushering them both out of the shop. "Now young man, you see to it that she gets home and rests."

Sakura began protesting in earnest, Chiyo pushing at her back with surprisingly strong hands and Sai clasping her wrist, intent on guiding her home.

"Next time we see each other," The tengu waved, "I'm sure you'll have a few more partners trailing at your beck and call!"

* * *

Sai watched Sakura's eyes dart to her alarm clock periodically. She hadn't made much progress with her book but, that wasn't a surprise. He'd done everything he could to ease her frazzled nerves, which came through loud and clear through their link. However, there was only so much he could do.

When he'd tried the method he'd read about, shifting into his big cat form and draping himself across her sleeping body to purr, it had gotten him socked in the snout.

After Sai explaining that some books claimed a cat's purr could alleviate illnesses and stress, Sakura apologized and thanked him for the attempt. "It's just…I don't think anything's going to make this go away until it's over and done with, you know?"

His master was constantly on edge lately. She wouldn't tell him much, but thanks to the emotional connection the bond afforded them, even the slightest thing being off was something he could pick up on. Sai figured it could have been any number of things…the knowledge that she could start getting worse again without another Summon, Naruto's distance from her in the last three days, or the parents he'd heard her discussing briefly with Tsunade.

Sakura took up her purse and smiled at him, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Well, this is a good outfit to meet a new Summon in, right?" She spun, showing off her perfectly ironed white skirt, black stockings and the off-the-shoulder pink sweater. Her long hair was left down, brushed to a shine. Considering the great ordeal she'd only recently been through, she looked good. Healthy.

The questioned prompted Sai to look down at himself. It was true he had heard about clothing making a lasting first impression, and whatever Summon his master would be matched to, would become his teammate. Wanting his Summoner to know he was making an effort to support her, Sai had chosen more formal clothes for the occasion.

The fitted sweater he wore over his dress shirt felt odd the way it covered all of him when he'd grown fond of crop tops. And the stiff-legged khakis that stopped just above his boots were mildly restricting, but the magazines he'd viewed suggested it completed the look. He didn't think he knew much about fashion, but Sakura looked at him approvingly when she saw his outfit, and that was enough.

Tsunade was waiting for them downstairs with Shizune and TonTon. The dark-haired woman stood, walking to Sakura and taking her in a sisterly hug. They didn't speak, holding each other and then pulling apart.

The whole affair was so somber, Sai was reminded of times with his former organization, when a Summon who was no longer useful would be marched out of their barracks and taken to be "decommissioned". No one ever came back from that.

"We'll be back after the midday rush." Tsunade exchanged a quick hug with Shizune too. Sakura checked her Evoker, made sure it was firmly attached. He wasn't sure if she was aware, but he could hear her heartbeat in his ears, louder than his own. Sai bumped her shoulder gently, and she looked up at him in gratitude. If he couldn't do anything else for her, he would be there with her until it was over. That was his new drive as a Summon.

Sakura was in the middle of opening the front door when a large blur crashed into it. As expected, she screamed, stumbling away from it. Sai caught her shoulder, knowing by the scent who it was before anyone else.

"Wait, Naruto?!" The blonde on the other side peeled himself off, shaking his head clear.

"Sakura-chan, don't go!"

Sai watched his master go from confused to angered. "Don't go?" she snapped. " _Don't go_?! I have an appointment to see who my potential match is. It's sort of life and death here. So whatever you have to say, it can wait."

She tried to step around him, but he was quicker, blocking her path again.

"Naruto..." she growled in a very impressive imitation of a shifter.

"I'm," he wheezed, trying to catch his breath. "I'm sorry about what I said before. I get it," he rubbed the back of his head and winced. "Ma sort of drilled it into me...the hard way." Shizune and Tsunade watched in quiet bewilderment, unaware of the last exchange between the two, or the fact that they hadn't spoken for a solid three days. Naruto took a step forward, and Sakura backed away, into Sai.

Pouting, the kitsune took her hands and pulled them close to his chest. "I'm saying I wanna be your Summon." Sakura stared up at him blankly. Noticing she was still unimpressed, Naruto continued, "No, that's not good enough! I really, _really_ wanna be your Summon! can't think of anybody that'd be a better Summoner for me than you. P-Plus," He closed one eye, embarrassed. "Mom and Dad are leaving for Uzushio in a few hours and uh, I didn't even pack...I don't really have a plan B. I mean, if they leave me and you don't want me as your Summon, guess I'll live on the streets. Hehe...I knew a hobo once. He was pretty cool. You couldn't really trust him around your food, though."

"Naruto," Sakura sucked in a deep breath, " _Knock it off_!" The command was followed by a mighty blow to the side of his head that had him reeling. He caught himself against the doorframe. Sai perked up. Seeing someone else take the brunt of his master's fist was...almost enjoyable. "Just…" Sakura threw another fist at his chest, over his heart. This time, there was no power behind it when it connected, her knuckles barely grazing his shirt. "Knock it off, you big dummy..." The smell of saline in the air alerted both Sai and Naruto to the fact that Sakura was crying, and the shifter found himself crowding closer to his Summon on instinct.

"Ah!" Naruto was panicking, looking around at all of them for assistance. Shizune and Tsunade had gone from confused to amused and no time at all, and were both pretending not to see the young yokai's distress. "I made everything worse again, didn't I?! Oh man, way to go Naruto! You're gonna be in your hundreds before you find a Summoner..." And he clenched his head and fell to the ground dramatically.

"Pfft!" Sakura tried to hide her laugh with a faked cough, but a few snickers managed to slip out. One of Naruto's ocean blue eyes cracked open, only to find Sakura leaning back against Sai and shaking with uncontrollable giggles. Sai couldn't say he minded. Whether at his expense, Naruto's, or anyone else's, this was the best mood his master had been in in over a week. "I...I..." she snorted. "Here," Not waiting for him to latch on, she easily hauled Naruto to his feet. Flicking away a stray tear, she looked at Naruto, and then up to him, her green eyes bright.

"So what do you say, Sai? You think we have room for one more?"

Realizing his fate as a Summon was now in his rival's hands, Naruto shamelessly switched to casting pleading blue eyes his way. "Naruto-kun's feisty, simple-minded, reckless and immature..." With each trait he ticked off, the fox went from trying to charm him, to giving him a stare that promised revenge. "But...I think he's truly devoted to becoming your Summon, master."

Sakura punched the blonde's shoulder, smirking. "I guess there's no point in keeping my appointment now anyway, is there?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of antis say that Sakura is a bad, ungrateful daughter who cut her parents off by age twelve. And while I find that amusing, I also headcanon that maybe, the frustration Sakura has expressed with her parents in canon has a source other than normal preteen rebellion and growing pains. It's just more fun to imagine that. In this story, it's that they (especially Mebuki) very much micromanage her, and try to push her into living by the (strict) traditions of the Fae. Sakura is a willful girl by nature, so we can guess how that'd go down.
> 
> And what's that?! Finally, another Summon? Two down and one to go. I'm pretty sure Gaara's Summon bonding moment with Sakura will be the most angst-filled and dramatic, because I just can't seem to keep myself away from that angst for very long… To everyone who wanted more Naruto, and more NaruSaku interaction, you got it. Next chapter will bring in some more of it, with the much anticipated Bonding scene. Then more Gaara, as well as some other plots coming into play.


	13. Grin and Bear It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura has to somehow survive the mortification upon learning how Naruto plans to bond himself to her.

The decision was followed by nervous chuckles, shared relief, and light, reassuring brushes as they climbed the stairs to Sakura's room. She'd be lying if she tried to tell herself all the anxiety had gone away just like that. True, Naruto coming around to the idea at the last minute wasn't what she'd been expecting, and it was much better than going and being matched to someone she didn't know.

That didn't mean when they reached her door her heart wasn't racing. On the contrary, it was faster than ever. Naruto's grin was shy, gentle. Sai, who'd followed at a slight distance, came up the steps and glanced between them. "I should wait elsewhere."

Sakura watched in confusion, turning to Naruto for clarification when Sai slipped down the hall to his room and shut the door. For his part, the blonde merely shrugged. "Kinda hard to explain but, it goes against our instincts a little to want somebody else to bond with our Summoner like this."

"O-Oh. I guess that makes sense." Sakura gripped the end of her sweater, biting her lip as she opened the door to her room and gestured inside. "It's a little messy. I really didn't have time to do laundry or anything since before the hospital so I have a few things on the—" Naruto staggered into the room, his blue eyes wide.

"Uh," Sakura put her hands on her hips, then crossed them over her chest unsurely. She didn't expect that reaction; she had no idea what she was supposed to make of the way he kept turning in circles, eyes everywhere and nowhere. "Could you cut it out?"

Snapping out of it, the kitsune beamed. "Sorry, sorry…this is my first time in your room. It's kinda more girly than I was thinking."

Sakura glared. "Sorry for not smearing some mud on the walls and putting out a few crumbs on the floor."

"It's not like that," he assured, still grinning. "I mean, this is even cuter than I was expecting!" He took a deep breath, "And it smells like you everywhere!" Sakura watched him plop unceremoniously onto the plush carpet and spread out, making himself comfortable.

Needing something to do, she moved some stray books from a spot on her bed and sat down. "That's supposed to be so special?"

Naruto rolled around in a patch of sunlight that streamed through her window, in a fit of giggles. "It is to me. There's just something about it ya know?" She didn't, but in a weird way, it was almost flattering. Deciding to let him get it out of his system, she watched him keep rolling.

Sakura noticed with some confusion that his shadow was…different. It had lost its human shape, the silhouette of a two-tailed fox wriggling across her patterned carpet instead.

"What's…that?" she asked, shifting from bed to floor to poke at it. Of course, it did nothing except stop moving when Naruto sat up to check.

"Huh? Whoops, I forgot about that. It's my real shadow," he explained.

"Real?" Sakura's brow furrowed, and she wished she'd finished reading up on kitsune. Especially before taking one on as a _Summon_.

Naruto plucked at the carpet. "I forget about it when I'm comfortable. I normally hide it with my magic, but," he shrugged. "It doesn't feel right to hide stuff from you, Sakura-chan."

Sakura felt her face warming up for a reason she couldn't place. What was there to be nervous about, when Naruto was a total goofball and she was already living with the most socially awkward boy she'd ever met?

"Thanks for showing me." Sakura smiled. "The real you, I mean. Though you're a pretty big goof so I don't think you could pretend if you tried." Naruto laughed and her smile morphed into a smirk. "Hey…I've got a question for you Naruto."

The kitsune's eyes lit up immediately and he scrambled closer to her, leaning forward until their noses brushed. "Yeah, anything you wanna know Sakura-chan!" Gently pushing his face back, she readied herself.

"What made you…change your mind? I know it was all really sudden back there in the hospital."

Naruto breathed in deeply through his nose, seemingly trying to compose his thoughts. "I thought I was taking advantage of you, and I really like you a lot, so I didn't wanna be the reason you were in even more pain. I'm a kitsune, so even though I need a Summoner, I can go for years without one before my magic turns on me."

"What would happen if…if it did?" Sakura whispered.

"Depends…" Naruto sighed. "But a Summon without a Summoner goes wild after a while. They just…give into their inner animal, I guess."

Her mind unwittingly flashed back to the man outside the grocery store. The one Sai claimed was a tanuki. There was something nearly feral in those deep eyes…

"Anyway," Naruto went on. "You already went through enough. I thought I could be a better friend than a Summon to you, but when I told Mom and Dad everything…they really laid into me. Sorry, guess it was stupid of me not to see how you were feeling."

Without warning, her eyes were welling with tears again, and Sakura felt touched by the amount of care Naruto apparently felt for her wellbeing. Now more than ever, she was grateful to him. If she had to be bonded to someone else, at least it was a friend.

Brushing them away, Sakura nodded her head a few times in understanding. Naruto silently allowed her to get herself together. Feeling a little better about the whole process, she cleared her throat. "So, how do we do this? Sai, uh…scratched me." She rolled up her sleeve and showed him her pale wrist. "Is that what you're gonna do?"

Naruto's eyebrows lifted, his lips jutting into a thoughtful pout. "Mom's kinda prepared me for this, and I have to say it's pretty intense. I don't wanna make you uncomfortable or anything…" he scratched at his ear. "B-But…" He blushed, suddenly unable to meet her eyes.

Sakura had a bad feeling. _Why_ didn't she finish the book? What if bonding with a kitsune was something perverted? Even if it was to save her life, she wasn't sure if she could go through with it. "Naruto," she glared, "You better not say anything weird!"

"I have to bite you, okay?!" he blurted, flinching away like he expected to be hit.

Taken aback, all the fire left her, replaced by bald shock. "B-Bite…me…" He was right; that _was_ intense…and oddly intimate.

"Wh-wh- _why_?" she whined, unable to hide her blush (again). "Why does it have to be…that…when Sai got it done just by scratching me?"

"It's different for every species. Kitsunes always bite." Naruto mumbled. "S-Sorry, Sakura-chan…"

"Fine," she huffed. "Let's say I go with this…where do you need to bite me?"

"Uh…" Naruto's eyes widened, a nervous grin appearing on his face. "I never really thought about it. You might have'ta take off your sweater."

Sakura looked down at herself, smoothing her hands over the comfortable sweater she'd been wearing. It was a nice spring day, fair-weathered and sunny, but some of her symptoms included intense chills, so she was stuck in extra layers. Groaning, she wriggled out of it, throwing it down next to her and then subconsciously hugging herself as Naruto's eyes roved over her exposed skin.

Underneath, she wore one of her only midriff tee's, mint green and with a big cherry blossom across the front. Ino had gleefully bought it for her not too long ago, and Sakura had pretended to hate it for how cliché it was, but secretly she thought it was one of the cutest tops she owned.

' _It's just one time,'_ she assured herself. ' _Just one bite.'_ She could feel Naruto's warmth as he moved even closer, shuddering a little when he carefully brushed away some hair from her shoulders and leaned in, scenting her.

"I think here's good." He said, trying to be as nonchalant as possible. It didn't work, of course, because it was Naruto. He sounded just as anxious as she felt. The blonde crawled behind her then, and Sakura squeaked when she looked down and saw she was sitting between his legs, his dark jeans pressing into her thighs.

"What're you doing?" she demanded.

"I told you it gets intense," This time his voice was more teasing than timid. "I was thinking here…" He touched just above her pulse point. "Was a good place to leave my mark. Nothing's more connected to your magic than your heartbeat, right?"

"O-Okay maybe," she conceded, shifting around awkwardly, managing to turn and look into his eyes. "But I don't want anything that visible, dummy! What are you, a vampire?"

Naruto grimaced, pulling back a bit. "Gross. That's just hurtful Sakura-chan…are you saying I smell like rose water and grave dirt?"

Before she had time to muse on the fact that Naruto apparently knew exactly what a vampire smelled like, he continued, "How 'bout here?" His fingertips brushed the juncture between her neck and shoulder. "But I gotta say…it might hurt more doing it in that spot."

She figured there was really no _good_ place to get bitten, so instead of protesting she shrugged, eager to get it over with. "If it's more than a sting, I have healing magic that'll numb it,"

"Then let's get started." The kitsune tilted his head. "You might wanna…pull your arm out of your sleeve though. Just the left one."

Just when she thought she'd mentally braced for the process, the damn idiot had to make this twice as embarrassing as it already was!

Sensing her agitation, Naruto leaned away from her, against the foot of the bed, his arms out non-threateningly. "It's just for easy access! Mom told me it can be kinda overwhelming and I don't wanna accidentally rip your shirt. Come on, Sakura-chan, have some faith!"

Still not taking her eyes off him, the pinkette removed her left arm from her sleeve, gulping in a few deep lungfuls of air as Naruto gently tugged her shirt up on that side. Not only was the area he was biting exposed, but her bra, and the left side of her body from the hem of her skirt and up.

Never in her life had she been this bared to a male, and it felt like every nerve was acutely aware of his touch. Luckily, Naruto had decided to behave himself, waiting for her to calm down.

"Your skin's super soft." he complimented. Once again his nose trailed close to her shoulder, and she had to remind herself it was still all life or death, and that it wouldn't exactly be _less_ uncomfortable to have this done with a total stranger. "This is it…you ready?"

Sakura wished he hadn't asked, because that just made her tense up even more. So she nodded mutely.

The next thing she knew, his mouth lowered into the same juncture of skin he'd decided on, and Sakura felt his lips part and the sharp protrusions of his fangs scrape over her. ' _Just think of it like a shot,_ ' she coached herself. ' _It'll be over and done with before you even have time to say ow._ '

Her brain wasn't buying it, because she was more than aware that the pain wasn't the problem at all. It was the permanence. Already, her life was irrevocably changed in just a few short weeks. Now this. No turning back.

Naruto was more emotionally in-tune to her feelings than she gave him credit for apparently, because his arms wrapped around her middle in a comforting hug, and it was only then Sakura noticed she'd been shaking.

"I've gotcha," he soothed, pulling his lips away momentarily.

Simple as it was, that did the trick. "I know." Sakura let her body sag into him, relaxing. She said before that she trusted him; now was the time to prove it.

Taking it as a sign to proceed, Naruto held her tighter, his fangs once again pressing into her skin, not fully puncturing. It _did_ hurt, but more than that, it was overwhelming. Sakura had been so frantic the first time it had happened to her with Sai, so desperate to get away, she really hadn't been paying attention to what her magic was doing.

This time she felt it all, the way it shot out and surged to meet with Naruto's and that strange, gooey sensation of being melded so intimately with someone else. Naruto's essence was just as bright as he was…Pure light so strong it should burn, but it only fluttered up against her playfully. Everywhere she turned, she was wrapped up in _Naruto_. Strength and protection trickled through her senses like warm honey, her eyes nearly fluttering shut in contentment.

Almost too soon, it was over, and Naruto was shuffling back, panting and definitely just as effected as she was.

Already, the pressure of her magic was lessening, flowing into Naruto and leaving her physically lighter than she'd been in a long time.

"Sakura-chan," he rasped. "Look,"

He drew her attention to the new accessory wrapped around his neck. A black choker with a golden charm in the shape of a sun. Enthralled, Sakura reached back and let her fingers graze over it. "It's your Limiter." she blinked. "It really worked!"

Chuckling, he loosened his grip, letting her fix her shirt. "Now you're _really_ stuck with me."

"Hah!" She scoffed, pulling at his cheek. "Or maybe _you're_ stuck with _me_. Ever think of that?"

When he beamed down at her despite the pull to the side of his face, it was so ridiculous looking she couldn't help but laugh.

"I can live with that!" he announced.

"Does that mean you and Sai are gonna find a way to get along?" Sakura felt a little too devilish, bringing that up just to sink his carefree mood.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Ugh, _that_ guy…I mean, we're both your Summons now. I still don't really _get_ him though."

Sakura grinned, understanding perfectly. "He's an acquired taste."

On queue there was a knock at the door. Figuring maybe it was Tsunade or Shizune coming up to check on her, Sakura got to her feet and sprinted to open it.

Instead, Sai was there, holding a tray of steaming food. That…was the last thing she was expecting. "Er, what's all this, Sai?" To her astonishment, not only did it smell amazing, but it looked completely edible! There was miso soup and fried dumplings and rice. Nothing too lavish, but filling nonetheless.

"I knew it would be a draining process for you, so I…"

"You cooked?" Sakura finished. "For me?"

Her first Summon nodded.

"I didn't even know you knew how."

"The tsukomogami were very insightful instructors. Although," he cringed briefly, "The pickaxe appears to still hold a grudge against me. It was temperamental and got in the way several times."

Unsurprising to hear, considering how petty that particular tsukomogami was. Sai had most likely wounded its pride in some way. "Gotta admit, smells awesome." Naruto had come up behind her at some point, peering over her shoulder and reaching for a dumpling.

Sai moved away and the blonde scowled. "Sorry, I only made enough for our master." Sakura didn't think he sounded too sorry.

"It's fine, Naruto," she quickly cut in. "We can share. Sai, could you maybe grab another pair of chopsticks?"

"For him?" Sai gave Naruto a dubious once over.

"Whatever," Naruto frowned. "I can do it myself!" And he marched out of the room, presumably headed to the kitchen. Sakura wasn't even sure if he'd know where to _find_ the chopsticks.

Before she could spend too much time worrying on Naruto getting turned around, Sai walked over to her desk and sat down the tray. "You should come eat before it gets cold."

"Uh, right…" It was still too bizarre he'd actually made her a meal, even _with_ some assistance. Sakura sat, staring at the tray in consternation.

Sai busied himself with picking up the chopsticks and plucking a dumpling from the plate, blowing the steam away and then bringing it to her lips. "Now open," he ordered gently.

Startled, Sakura leaned away. "What're you doing _now_?"

"People recovering from ordeals that take a toll on them may need help, right? That's what the book said…" His brows pinched in confusion. "Did I get it wrong?"

Sakura blinked. "I-In some cases that's true…but I'm feeling fine now. I can hold and eat with chopsticks on my own, you know."

Considering her explanation, Sai shrugged. "Alright."

Sakura sighed in relief when he handed the eating utensils over. Curious about if the food tasted as good as it looked and smelled, she took a small bite, letting the flavors settle over her taste buds. "Crab dumplings?" she asked. "I didn't even know we had any crab in the kitchen."

"Shizune-san worried you'd try to stock the kitchen yourself and decided to do it for you."

"Makes sense," Sakura hummed, finishing the dumpling.

She was also quietly impressed Sai had been paying enough attention to what was going on in the household to notice something as mundane as Shizune keeping the kitchen stocked. He was becoming more of a fixture in the house than she'd even realized. And now they had Naruto around. How was that supposed to work anyway? There'd always been room for three people to live comfortably…Would Naruto be moving in? Now that he was her Summon it would make sense.

Loud footsteps in the hall followed by said blonde bursting in and waving chopsticks forced her to table the thought. "Hey, found some!" he announced happily. "Let's dig in,"

"Calm down." Sakura rolled her eyes. But she still couldn't help her amusement when she watched Naruto trying to decide which dumpling to pick as if they weren't all exactly the same. She decided to try the miso soup while it was still warm, hoping the last of her chills would abate.

"So it's really done, huh? Two Summons." Sai and Naruto exchanged a glance, Naruto's face already stuffed with food.

"How're you feeling?" Sai asked.

Sakura's eyes fell half-closed as she leaned back. Peering over, she saw the black-haired boy waiting on an answer. "Mentally, emotionally or physically? Because it…varies. I feel better than I have in months, and I'm guessing that's Naruto's doing."

The fox paused from going after her rice long enough to give her a proud grin, fangs fully visible. "I dunno if you know it, but different species can absorb their Summoner's magic at different rates, or that's what Dad told me once. My family's got a bunch of tanks in it. So I can take on even more extra magic spill-off from you than he can." Naruto motioned at Sai with his chopsticks. "And since you've got a lot of it to spare," He licked some stray grains of rice that stuck to his lips. "Our bond's gonna be really strong. I can feel it already." He was practically preening, and Sakura would bet money on the fact that if his tails were on display they'd be all fluffed out.

' _Are all foxes this excitable?'_ she mused. If Kushina and Naruto were good indicators…

"Kids!" Tsunade called, "Come downstairs for a minute—all of you."

Sakura and the boys glanced at each other, the pinkette moving to stand with a shrug. "Eh, no telling what that's about…better just go."

Naruto gave the food one more glance, following after her and Sai. The short trip downstairs was silent, but a little awkward with Sakura being very much aware of the two warm bodies trying to squeeze as close to her as possible even in the narrow stairway. If it was how it would be all the time, Sakura figured they'd have to set some boundaries pretty soon. ' _Not like that ever worked when it was just Sai…_ '

Tsunade and Shizune were waiting in the kitchen, some unexpected guests seated at the table with them.

"Naruto!" The minute the blonde came into view, Kushina was up and ready to pounce, getting him with a pretty solid cuffing over the head.

"Mom, ouch! Seriously?!" He scooted away, hiding behind Sakura.

"It's what you deserve, running off like that! Geez, you're too much like I use to be…you never wait for the go ahead!"

Minato, sitting at the table with a cup of tea to his lips, lowered his eyes with a smile. "You're still like that, honey…"

"Oh, hush!" she chastised. "Anyway, Naruto…I can't believe…I can't believe you found your Summoner right here in Konoha!" Sakura didn't have time to be startled by her swift mood change, because suddenly the redheaded woman was wrapping both she and Naruto up in a powerful hug as she blinked back tears.

Unsure what to do, she glanced to the blonde from around his mother's shoulder, but he looked just as powerless in the face of her tears. Finally pulling back, Kushina looked them both over with warm eyes. "When you ran off and said you were going to find Sakura, we figured out what was going on pretty quickly. You're all grown up now. My little boy…" She brushed a thumb against his right cheek, lingering on his whiskers, and Sakura smiled at the loving gesture.

"Hey," Naruto blushed. "Come on, Mom. Not in front of everybody…"

"I gave birth to you," Kushina chuckled. "I'll embarrass you as much as I want, ya know?!" Sakura giggled along with her.

"We brought your things from the hotel," Minato added, standing from the table to join them. "We'll have to mail over everything else you need since it's pretty obvious you're planning to stay." The older man clapped his son on the shoulder. "We're both so proud of you."

"Thanks, Dad. I promise I'm gonna do my best and keep making you proud. And if I can, I'll come visit!"

"You can all visit." Tsunade chimed in, wiping her mouth with a napkin after a sip of tea. "I'm sure Sakura would love to get away from the city sometimes, too."

At the sound of her name, Minato and Kushina turned their attention to her, and Sakura felt incredibly bashful all of a sudden. "I just want you to know," Kushina began.

"That we couldn't have asked for a better Summoner for our boy if we'd chosen ourselves." Minato finished. "Thank you, we know he's in capable hands with you."

"We're expecting you both to look out for each other." Kushina added, stern and motherly again. "And never be a stranger! Uzushio's just a short plane ride away."

It was nice that Naruto had the full support of his parents. Going through something as life-changing as becoming a Summon and suddenly moving away from home would be a horrible thing not to have the understanding of the most important people in your life for.

Sakura sighed to herself, thinking of her own parents. All the coaching they'd done over the years about the honor being a state-sponsored Summoner would bring, and they hadn't even really seemed _happy_ for her.

* * *

The little living room couch had never felt so…crowded.

Sakura really had to question whether the poor piece of furniture could accommodate four people and a pig. Not that TonTon counted since she was perched on Tsunade's lap.

The witch could just…spell the couch bigger if she wanted. But no, leave her to the embarrassment of being wedged between Naruto and Sai so that their legs all touched. The game show they were all watching had just gone on commercial, and Tsunade lowered the volume, glancing over at her from around Naruto. "Do I need to put down some ground rules or are you three mature enough to work out this situation?"

Sakura instantly became red, and it only took a quick peek to see Naruto was blushing too, despite scowling. Only Sai had missed the subtext of the question. "Yeah, we're good, thanks." She mumbled. "I can transfigure the single in Shizune's room into a bunk. It'll be good practice anyway."

"Can't I just stay with you?" Naruto whined.

"No," Sakura bit out, Tsunade snickering.

"You sure you're cut out for this?" she asked, "We can always put him on the first boat back to Uzushio."

"A little too late," Sakura rested her head on the back of the couch, blinking slowly. "Naruto's just going to learn to behave himself, or he's going to go live in the toolshed out back. You know, where the garden tools hang out." The tsukomogami that maintained Tsunade's herb garden weren't exactly fond of sharing their space with strangers, either.

The kitsune deflated after that, turning to Sai with a glare.

Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose. To say she could foresee problems with the arrangement would be an understatement, but that was a bridge she could definitely wait to cross until absolutely necessary.

Tsunade, ignoring the teen drama happening right next to her, idly changed the channel, going through about ten different stations before settling on the evening news. They were talking about the Suna royal family, and Sakura couldn't help but lean in, interested.

A blue-haired water nymph was giving the report. Sakura could tell what she was because of the large, teardrop brooch pinned to the front of her blouse, keeping her skin adequately moisturized. " _It's been several weeks since the murder of King Rasa and the execution of Prince Gaara in a whirlwind of events that have drawn condemnation from the international community for what they see as the kingdom's hasty handling of the matter._ " She cleared her throat, bringing up a stock picture of the king descending the palace steps and all three of his children, though they were much younger. A brown-haired boy walked to his father's left, staring up at the man, who was staring straight ahead.

There was a blonde girl with her hair in puffed pigtails, holding the hand of a small redheaded boy who was shyly looking down and clutching a bear. _'That's…Prince Gaara.'_

Although she had been busy, too busy to pay attention to international news as of late, Sakura remembered the report that shocked the world of the Wind Kingdom's youngest prince being sentenced to death for the murder of his own father. An image of a red-haired teenage boy with cool turquoise eyes rimmed heavily in black tanuki rings circulated that night.

"That kid looks sorta familiar…the redhead." Naruto mumbled, squinting at the TV until the blue of his eyes were just slits.

"I think so too." Sai said, surprising them both.

"Really?" Naruto and Sakura asked in unison.

The dark-haired boy blinked. "It's only a feeling I have."

"You're all forgetting the kid's been covered his entire life as a member of a royal family," Tsunade smirked. "Of course he looks familiar."

The news reporter kept talking, bringing up recent news footage of the same blonde girl, now a young woman with her hair longer and down past her shoulders, walking alongside her remaining brother, cameras flashing as reporters hounded them for comments. " _The coronation of King Rasa's daughter, Princess Temari, is set to take place very soon, within the month_."

The pinkette couldn't help but notice the look in her green-blue eyes, one insensitive comment away from lashing out. Her body language was stiff as her bodyguards kept the braver members of the media at bay. Sakura felt badly for her; her family had fallen apart and suddenly the weight of ruling a nation was unceremoniously dumped on her shoulders. " _So far the royal family has not made much comment following the tragedy of the late king's death, but the princess is expected to give her first press conference as queen-to-be before the end of the week._ "

Green eyes flitted to the princess's faint scowl. _'Not if she has anything to say about it.'_

The view panned out to her co-anchor— with his shiny lime green scales glinting prettily in the studio light—aiming a well-practiced smile at the camera. " _And in local news, authorities are reporting an uptick in dangerous new illegal Enhancements circulating from black market dealers and finding their way into the general public. Three teenagers were hospitalized last week after one of the boys lost control of a biogenic chip he'd had implanted."_

Sakura narrowed her eyes at the screen, noticing Tsunade's hand on TonTon's back tense as she muttered about how reckless and idiotic kids were under her breath. Silently, she'd have to agree. So many humans thought it was 'cool' or 'special' to be magical…they took their mundaneness for granted in a way Sakura would never understand.

So what if they couldn't shapeshift, or fly or make trees grow from thin air? Risking their lives to implant some…crazy "powers" in their bodies was a death sentence when they inevitably went south. What was that Ino had told her? That Enhancements had a less than twenty percent "take rate". Hence, Sakura chewed her lip, why no medical professional worth their license would stick them into just anybody off the street who asked for them. " _Commissioner Uchiha had this to say_ ,"

An earlier interview from a man with shoulder length hair, pale skin and pronounced frown lines wearing a Konoha: MLE uniform appeared onscreen.

"So Fugaku's the commissioner now, eh?" Tsunade mumbled thoughtfully. "No surprise there. That man's always had pretty high ambitions." Sakura shot her a quizzical look, wondering how her godmother knew him. Then again, she knew a lot of people. She may not have always acted like it, but she was a very powerful, well-respected witch.

" _Of course we're cracking down_ ," The Commissioner said firmly. " _Allowing the public to continue to be preyed upon by shady individuals who exploit this technology for their own gain is unacceptable. We're working in conjunction with_ _several divisions of the RCMM. The investigation is sensitive, so we can't release every detail we have to the public at this time, but I'm personally confident in tangible results soon."_ Commissioner Uchiha nodded, signaling the interview was over.

"Wonder how far the stick up that guy's ass goes," Naruto snickered, and even if she knew it wasn't proper, Sakura laughed under her breath. He had a point. The Commissioner didn't seem like the most…approachable man.

"At the very least that'd be a great source of discomfort," Sai chimed in, "But more than likely it would rupture the anu—" Sakura didn't even bother looking up; she just clapped a hand over Sai's mouth, use to it.

"This is the part where I tell you not to take everything literally. Again." Sakura explained.

"If you three don't mind, I want to hear this next part." Tsunade scolded.

The first news anchor that had begun the evening report reappeared wearing a slightly troubled look on her face. " _This next piece of news was shocking on both the local and national level._ " She said slowly. " _Roughly two and a half weeks ago, a terrorist attack occurred right here in Konoha at the mall_." Sakura's eyes widened as pictures of the damage the mall sustained from what had to be explosives or incredibly volatile powers filled the TV.

" _Multiple civilians were injured during the attack, and five people, who have yet to be recovered, were abducted in the chaos._ " She could feel her heartbeat start to accelerate as she relived the moment of terror. If they'd taken her where would she be now? Certainly far away from everything and everyone she cared about, not having a good time to boot. The hand resting over hers made her jump, but she looked down to see it was only Sai, who was watching her face curiously.

"You're scared," he announced, and she wanted to sink into the couch, if only there was room.

"Yeah, I feel it too now that you mention it." Naruto agreed. "You don't have to worry about anything like that happening to you. Not with us around."

"Naruto…" she smiled sadly. "It almost did."

It took a second of the blonde nodding consolingly before it sank in. "Wait, what?!"

"I almost got taken back then. We got out of there…somehow, but…" she shrugged, not knowing what else to say. It wasn't a normal occurrence to be nearly kidnapped in broad daylight.

And Sakura tried her best not to worry anyone, acting like she'd processed it all. But the truth was sometimes that moment haunted her nightmares. Sai smelled dark magic on them.

They weren't good people, as if their actions didn't make that obvious enough. Sometimes she would close her eyes and end up back in that bubble, trapped and defenseless. The moment would play out differently. Ino and Sai would lay crumpled and motionless on the ground. She would scream for help and no one would answer…

The dim sound of the news still playing in the background filtered through her thoughts.

" _All of them are known to be Summons or Summoners, according to the RCMM's database. However, none of these people knew each other._ "

"Weird," Tsunade's eyes studied the screen intently. "Why go through the trouble and not take pairs?"

"Pairs are stronger when they're together," Sakura said absently, not minding that Naruto's arm was resting across the back of the couch touching her neck.

" _Families of the missing have understandably expressed their concern about the length of time their loved ones have been gone, and the desire for any answers._ " The reporter went on. " _The Prime Minister issued a statement earlier today, addressing not only the nation of the Fire Kingdom, but the world._ "

A weathered older man with a few liver spots across his tanned face stood at a podium, wearing a stiff black suit. Prime Minister Sarutobi was so old, it was rumored that he remembered a time when the Fire Kingdom was more than a kingdom in name only, when there was an emperor in power. " _These terrorists, which we believe to be from a budding group that's recently risen from the belly of the criminal underworld, are calling themselves the Externals. We have extensively interrogated those of them that were apprehended in the latest assault,_ "

Sakura wondered if Ino's father had been one of the interrogators. She pitied anyone who had Yamanaka Inoichi in their head looking to extract information. Ino's father was kind and mild-mannered at home, but very much effective at his job.

And anyone laying a hand on his daughter should be prepared to face that. " _Their goals seemed to be aligned with where they started out, trafficking in people who have valuable gifts and using them for their own nefarious purposes._ _Make no mistake, dear citizens, they will be prosecuted under the fullest extent of the law for their crimes_."

Sakura wanted desperately to believe in his words, but her mind just wouldn't allow it. _'But they're still out there…'_

* * *

Sakura didn't like the way Ino kept...leering at her. Like she knew her dirty little secret or something. Not that she _had_ one. Ignoring her friend, she pasted on a smile and listened to the young woman leaning across the counter ramble about how she needed a spell to make her boyfriend itch…inappropriately…if he so much as looked at another girl.

Explaining for the fifth time that they didn't do those kind of spells—well Tsunade certainly _could_ but there was no way she'd risk being liable for the results—the pinkette tried to interest her in the crystal paste that when rubbed on temples boosted focus for four hours straight (guaranteed). Finals were coming up, so wouldn't that be more useful? She looked like a college student.

The fae could tell by the unimpressed face she was getting when she tried to talk up the various properties of their crystal paste line that the brunette just wasn't interested. "Mm, well, do you have anything that like, will make me irresistible to someone?"

' _Yes,_ ' Sakura immediately ran through the list of ingredients for just the spell in her head, knowing the side-effects of it would drive her to be _dangerously_ irresistible—"be with me forever or die"—irresistible. That spell…was very delicate and the exact amounts to dilute the downsides were hard to get right even for a seasoned witch. That didn't even take into consideration how unethical brewing something like that was. People should want to be around you by choice, not compulsion.

' _Compulsion…_ ' The curse seared into Sai's tongue always seemed to come to mind whenever she heard the word these days…

Honestly, didn't humans understand even a _little_ bit that magic wasn't a toy? That it was sometimes a real pain in the ass to be beholden to its laws?

And those were just the _relatively_ unethical spells she was asking about; Sakura shuddered to think of the truly powerful, very dangerous spells created with only one purpose that could be made by a motivated and more…morally lax individual.

Seeing the impatient human college girl was still waiting, Sakura cleared her throat and pushed a piece of hair from her face. "No," The pink-haired fae sighed, her smile very much strained.

"Wow, bummer. I heard from a friend of mine this shop has the good stuff." She scoffed, kicking the toe of her sandal against the counter in an annoying rhythm Sakura was pretty sure was a catchy pop song the radios were blowing up lately. "Can't believe I wasted gas coming all the way out here to the edge of the woods…" she muttered, milling off.

Sadly she didn't even have time to face-palm, because the next customer was coming over, hopefully with a more reasonable request. Tsunade and Shizune were off at some witches' convention one town over, and that left Sakura to run the shop for the day with some company from a visiting Ino and minimal help from the bumbling duo of her two Summons.

"Can I help you?" Sakura asked, careful to make sure no remnants of frustration with the last customer bled into her interaction with this one.

The middle-aged man began telling her about his stress from work, his stress from city life, his stress from a mother who bullied him to get married over the phone from five-hundred miles away. Sakura was instantly sympathetic to the last complaint. About the long-distance parent bullying, that was. Ino pretended to file her nails, but she was watching the _whole_ time as she jogged to the shelf of some of their fresh yet premade commercially marketed remedies.

After another satisfied customer left with a stoppered bottle of stress-reducing bath elixir and Ino was still mooning at her, Sakura'd had enough. " _What_?" she snapped, quickly separating the money as she put it in the register till. "You're being a real creep right now. And I've already got some of those slinking around."

The blonde's relentless grin split her flawless face. "Sakura, I just never thought you were the type, you know? Guess it's always the bookworms, though…"

"What the hell are you talking about?" she hissed.

Ino affected an innocent, wide-eyed blink. "That you're into the kinky stuff, obviously. Masochism, right? That's the only thing that explains…that." She pointed with a smirk to Naruto arranging jars on the other side of the store, occasionally taking "secret" sniffs of their contents and making inquisitive expressions, like any fox would. No, Ino wasn't really pointing to the other blonde. She was pointing to his collar, proudly on display.

Sakura blushed heavily. "I-It's..."

"Summon number two, huh?" Ino kept her eyes on his biceps as he lifted more stock above his head and the muscles flexed. "…Well, I guess you could do worse…"

"Keep your tongue in your mouth for one second," Sakura groaned. "And I thought Sai was your type or whatever." They glanced over to where said dark-haired boy was working.

Sai had a harmless job, stocking shelves alongside Naruto. Surprisingly, they both looked like they were behaving for a change.

"Oh, he is," Ino nodded enthusiastically. "But I'm starting to think that's going nowhere." She pouted. "I mean, I've been laying on the charm at full force every time I'm near him and nothing! It's like he's completely oblivious!"

' _Hah! I could have told you that the very first time you met him._ ' The pinkette fought the urge to smack her forehead in exasperation.

"So for right now I'm keeping my options open," Ino finished with a prim sniff. "Anyway, this Summoner stuff…it's getting pretty intense for you. Have you thought about maybe, I don't know, talking to someone about it? Someone really qualified to…show you the ropes?"

Sakura turned her entire body around to face her friend and raised her brows skeptically. "You'd better not be talking about taking the RCMM up on their offer. There's no way I'm gonna—"

"No!" Ino quickly cut in. "No way. Official governing body over magic or not, that one guy that came up to you in the café sounds super creepy, and I've never even met him."

Sakura relaxed, grateful they were on the same page. "I was thinking more about…someone freelance." she continued. The RCMM isn't the only place specialists who can guide people with Summoning magic work. There might be some teacher somewhere who can, you know, tell you what to expect. You're really gonna need the help with those two."

A quick glance in the boys' direction and the girls gasping. Naruto had tried to put too many vials on one shelf, and it was starting to wobble (Sakura suddenly remembered that shelf had been loose for a while). The blonde didn't notice anything was wrong until he placed the last vial and stepped back. "Hey Sakura-chan, check it out!" he pointed. The shelf tilted and the vials started to slide off. "Urgh, no, no, no!"

Naruto started scrambling to catch each one in time, collecting all but the very last in his hands. In desperation he opened his mouth, letting the tiny bottle slide in and clenching the glass between his teeth while trying not to apply enough pressure to break it. Sai came over to inspect in curiosity, prying the product from Naruto's mouth and looking at the label. "It says Essence of Euphoria." The kitsune spat out the cork that had come off when Sai pulled and it flew through the air, hitting the counter and bouncing to the floor, rolling at Sakura's feet.

Biting her lip in concern, she crouched and picked it up. "You didn't…swallow any of this, did you?"

Naruto turned his face into his shoulder and began wiping off his tongue, hands still full. "Blegh! Maybe a little…? Why?"

"Warning," Sai read off the label, glancing at Naruto. "Ingesting too much at a time may lead to excessive giggling, severe loosening of inhibitions and—"

Ino slid from her seat with a smirk, "Geez. Just bottle up some sake and sell it, why don't you? Look at him. He's practically over the moon already." It was true, unfortunately. Sakura watched Naruto prance around and put the bottles back, smiling dopily the entire time.

He skipped to the window near the front of the shop's door and peered out. "Wow," he sighed happily. "So pretty out there. Makes you feel like you're flying, ya know?" And he spun perfectly on the tips of his toes, going to open the door before Sakura rushed over and secured him around the waist, planting her feet. Who knew what the hell he'd try, loopy on happiness?

Naruto purred, turning and wrapping her up in a large hug. "You smell _so_ good," Then, releasing her and bouncing over to Ino, he felt some of her long hair before she could pull it away. "So do you. And your hair's silky. Not as nice as Sakura-chan's though." Ino's face reddened, her bright blue eyes darkening with a glare.

Naruto twirled away before she had time to tell him off, latest target already in sight. "Sai!" he exclaimed. "I bet you're really fluffy when you shift, huh?" Sai looked more confused than offending as the blonde started to pat his head in fascination.

"I…I suppose." He shrugged.

"Thought so. Ya know, I'm fluffy too. I mean really, _really_ fluffy!" he held his arms wide to demonstrate. "This much!" Naruto nodded to himself.

"I'm gonna brew something to clear his head," Sakura grumbled, already hunting for the right ingredients in the catalogued rack.

"Don't," Ino called after her, "This is starting to get good."

* * *

An hour and a half later and Sakura had managed to find a spell that mellowed the effects of the Euphoria. Just in time, really, because Naruto was persistent that he wanted to start wearing his hair just like Ino's, flower crown and all.

Now sobered, the kitsune seemed to be regretting a lot…"Wow," Naruto rubbed his forehead, embarrassed. "Sorry about that guys. Remind me _never_ to try that again." He sucked down more soda, rolling the can in between his palms before setting it down on the table. "Feels like I ate a rainbow and then barfed kittens."

"That's another figure of speech, isn't it?" Sai asked rhetorically. Sakura nodded slowly and he made a pleased sound.

Sakura shook her head at the analogy. "I'm just glad I knew how to counter it. If you were still like that when Tsunade got back and she thought I was playing with the merchandise, she'd put me on brew duty until my arms fell off…"

"Yeah, Naruto," Ino bit into her pomegranate and hummed in appreciation for the sweetness. "You're basically so clumsy you're a walking ball of destruction."

"Feh," Naruto stuck his nose up in defiance. "Sakura-chan," he turned to the pinkette, pointedly ignoring Ino, "Maybe ero-jiji might know a teacher that can help us. Someone really skilled in Summoning. He's been all over the world and he knows tons of weird people."

"I'm not so sure," Sakura watched Sai enthusiastically munching on some leftover sushi that was in the fridge. With each new piece he tried, his dark eyes lit up a little. "If Jiraiya-sama really knew someone like that, why wouldn't he tell Tsunade?"

Naruto opened his mouth, then closed it. Finally, he looked down at the tabletop, rubbing his scalp. "I mean…okay, you've got a point. He keeps a lotta secrets. But it's worth asking, right?"

Sakura had thought more than once about tentatively looking for answers outside books. Her situation was only getting more complicated, and she was positive the RCMM would be "checking in" to see if she'd reconsidered the offer soon. They just didn't seem like the kind who'd so easily accept a no. "Guess so," she conceded.

"And if he says no," Naruto continued, eyes sparkling with mischief. "I have a few ways to make him change his mind."

"That doesn't…sound too innocent." Ino licked some of the juice that had dripped down her wrist.

It didn't deter the devilish grin on his face. "Blackmail isn't really supposed to be," he winked.

* * *

"You really wanna go, pretty boy?" the meathead sneered, taking one look at his smaller stature and figuring the match was as good as won. One arm had been modified to fit some kind of precision cannon, and he wore the thickest brass knuckles he'd ever seen on the hand that wasn't. All the Enhancements and dirty tricks didn't faze Gaaara, because in the end, he had skill and rage on his side.

He allowed his opponent to circle, scrutinizing him from head to toe. When his foe had decided he'd found a weak spot, he smirked widely, tossing something from his meaty palm. Gaara glanced down around his feet to see a copious amount of spikes circling him, faint blue arcs of electricity alerting him to the fact that they were more dangerous than they appeared. "There ya go, tough guy." The thug cackled. "Now I got you where I want you." He proceeded to launch a heavy swing, keeping to the outside of the ring of spikes and forcing Gaara to dip his body almost in half to avoid it. Jeering went up from the crowd, but he didn't bother listening to who it was directed at. Before he could snap back to upright, Gaara heard the sound of the cannon firing up, preparing to blast him from close range.

Anywhere else, it would have been disqualifiable cheating, but in the blackened heart of the city, crowds loved to see what underhanded means to win fighters would be desperate enough to use. No one cared; no one ever called foul. The blast went off, and Gaara dropped flat.

There was some reflective paneling overhead in the arena so the audience could see the fighters from every angle, and the concussive pulse of energy ricocheted off that and struck his cocky foe as he had his back turned, already raising both arms in victory. Gaara watched blankly as he was ripped through from his blast, shocked gurgles falling from his lips and then he was down on his knees.

As he sat up, his opponent went down, dead. The crowd went wild, the sight of the large pool of blood spreading across the matted floor only driving them into more of a frenzy. While he couldn't deny that his dark side reveled at the sight, another park of him cringed in disgust. They disgusted him. His foes disgusted him. These matches disgusted him, and lately, despite whatever explanation he mumbled into the mirror, he was starting to disgust himself.

"Yet another win for the invincible Prince of Shadows, Hikage!" The announcer screamed. "This time he didn't even lay a hand on his opponent! Is this maniac on fire or what?!"

Gaara had been running circles around all his opponents lately, and he was starting to crave a new type of challenge. The rational part of him was just glad that he wasn't a threat to anyone innocent. Because _no one_ he fought had clean hands, that was for sure. As long as he got to knock heads together in his matches, he'd be fine.

But the darker side was starting to push for bigger game, no matter who that ended up being. Chikafusa kept promising that his big matchup in two days was going to be worth it, because he wouldn't be fighting some scum that dabbled in the black market and thought the best way to advertise their Enhanced parts was to fight with them, or some drug lord or gang member.

He'd beaten all those types pretty handily. Even without letting the Sand Cloak take over. No, his next big opponent wasn't the usual. He was some disgraced son from a good family, but he didn't go by his real name. Gaara wasn't one to judge that, because he wasn't using his either. Hikage, his alias, was a newcomer in these underground cage fights that had remained undefeated since suddenly surfacing not too long ago. Naturally, him going up against the mysterious but equally unbeatable fighter everyone was calling Fuu made a lot of buzz in the circuit.

His chest heaving with adrenaline, Gaara made a valiant effort to turn away from the sight of the now cooling body that had yet to be taken from the cage. The beast inside licked its lipped and growled in pleasure at the downed body, all while insisting it was best to tear the corpse to shreds until he was unrecognizable, just to be **sure** that dead was dead.

' _Unnecessary_ ,' he growled at himself, exiting the cage so they could prepare it for the next match. Chikafusa was waiting for him with a towel, a grin, and a new wall of muscle that must have been some new bodyguard. A dark inner chuckle went through the tanuki. ' _I knew he was scared of me._ '

"Excellent show as always, though it wasn't nearly long enough," Chikafusa chucked the towel at him and Gaara dabbed his face dry with it. The match didn't make him break a sweat, but the annoyingly bright lights in the otherwise dark pit had. "I'm only hoping your next match will showcase what a true champion you are. I hope this Fuu fellow meets expectations."

Gaara stared down at the small man, tilting his head in consideration. "Yeah, me too." he said idly. The same suspects weren't cutting it anymore, and the last thing Gaara wanted was for the darkness inside to go unsated and start out on its prowl. Still, deep down...he couldn't deny he wished there was more to life than wasting his time slumming it until the inevitable. It was all too late anyway, though. No one wanted a crazed tanuki as a Summon, so why even get his hopes up futilely?

He was just where he was supposed to be, and it was best to live in the moment about it, because nothing was going to change that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things got just a tiny bit intense with this chapter, didn't they? lol I confess, I actually remember writing it this way after seeing some people talking shit about NaruSaku and how they can't have chemistry as anything more than friends. Plus I'm just a sucker for good NaruSaku. 
> 
> Also, in folklore, one of the main tells that an otherwise "human" person is truly a kitsune, is the shape of their shadow…which often has tails. So now we have…Sakura possibly stumbling into a dangerous situation next time. Be on the lookout for some serious GaaSaku interactions too, as well as lots of action and drama.


	14. Enter the Sandman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A very reckless plan for information puts Sakura in a sticky situation and Gaara intervenes. Naruto takes it upon himself to try to get information Jiraiya isn't being forthcoming with. And Sai's past haunts him through dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's some non-consensual blood-drinking, and brief unwanted touching/grouping so be warned about that. Also death of minor characters in flashbacks and in the present.

It was just his luck, really. The same day he got a Summoner (the best one possible!) he also got a roommate for the first time in his life. And after the short time they'd been acquainted, Naruto was sure he knew exactly what to expect from living with Sai. Losing his temper. Every day. Maybe every hour.

He steadily unpacked everything his parents brought over, diligently pretending he couldn't feel Sai watching him intently. Naruto stepped back, looking up at the top bunk that would be his bed from now on.

True to her word, Sakura had transfigured the small single into a spacious bunk bed. Well, it was a small consolation. As a kid he'd always wanted a bunk bed, but his mom had said no, insisting if he got one he'd be swinging off it and hurting himself. Naruto scratched his cheek as he thought. Honestly, she probably wasn't wrong…

The more he pulled from his charmed suitcase that allowed for near infinite storage, the more he knew his parents had stopped at a store before coming over. There were more clothes than he'd brought with him, enough to last him through the week without having to do laundry, if he wanted. Assorted snacks and an extra toothbrush were crammed in too.

He plucked out a note that caught his attention, " _An extra toothbrush, so brush every day! No excuses. And remember, read expiration labels! Don't just eat first and ask questions later… We love you, Naruto, and we'll be cheering you on. –Mom and Dad_ " Naruto sighed, already missing his parents a little. He'd see them again, of course. And he didn't regret becoming a Summon, but Uzushio had been his home his entire life, and now here he was on the mainland…

Sighing, Naruto decided it was better to change clothes for the night since it was already growing late. He moved to take out some of his favorite patterned orange pajamas.

"You're pretty high maintenance." His blue eyes flashed. Sai wasn't going to make the adjustment easy. If Sakura's presence was a balm Sai's was an irritant, like sand or dirt in the wound. Currently, his new _roommate_ was studying everything he unpacked with unblinking focus. "I've read about it."

Naruto squared his shoulders back and curled his lip in a small snarl. "Let's lay down rules. Just 'cause we're living together now it doesn't mean we're really friends. So don't touch my stuff," He whipped his shirt over his head, starting to shimmy out of his jeans, stopping when he felt eyes still on him. "What's your deal? Quit staring already."

"Why the modesty? We're both males," Sai said, flatly. Naruto glared. "You _are_ a _boy_ , aren't you?"

He could feel his blood starting to heat in irritation, the urge to take a swing at the shifter's face incredibly high. "Are you trying to pick a fight?"

Sai was rubbing his chin and eyeing him as if in deep thought. "I think I understand," he came closer, and Naruto took a wary step back. "You don't want me to see because you're ashamed. I read about this too. Sometimes, lack of confidence can be directly related to a smaller si—"

"Shut up," the kitsune snapped. Tugging his jeans down his legs and flinging them to the side, he turned away from the dark-haired male. "Nothin' to be ashamed of. But that doesn't mean I'm okay with a peep show." Back facing his fellow Summon, Naruto jammed a button-up pajama shirt over his head, then found the matching pants and pulled those on too.

Suitably covered, he zipped up his suitcase and stored it in a corner. Then, taking up his toothbrush and toothpaste, he glowered at Sai. "Keep your hands off my snacks!" he warned, stomping out of the room and down the hall.

Still fuming, he nearly barreled straight into Sakura as she exited the bathroom. "Oh, Naruto!" she jumped, her eyes momentarily going wide, before she shuffled out of the way with a tired yawn that scrunched her freckles. Spending the night in a room with Sai was suddenly the furthest thing from his mind.

Sakura in a teddy printed camisole and shorts was criminally cute, especially with that sleepy look on her face… He thought with triumph about how he too had now seen his master in her sleepwear.

Tilting her head owlishly, the pinkette rubbed at a half-lidded eye, taking the time to study his pajamas too. "Let me guess, you and Sai aren't ready to make friendship bracelets yet?"

Naruto turned away, because he couldn't really deny it. Although, he wondered if he had been that easy to read, or if their new bond gave her some kind of direct link to his thoughts. _'Crap!'_ he gulped, fretting over what she'd say if she knew he was busy blanking out over her for the last minute. _'J-Just play it cool, Naruto!'_

"Well, yeah," he admitted quietly, trying not to accidentally clench his tube of toothpaste too hard. "It's gonna…take us a while to get use to each other." Everyone always told him he was no good at tact, but for Sakura's sake, he'd try.

She smiled a little. "You're probably right. But I'm still really glad you decided to stay," Naruto's heart leapt at the confession. Barely suppressing another yawn, she patted at his arm as she walked past. "Get some rest. Night, Naruto."

There was no point denying he was still sort of spellbound as he watched her disappear behind her own door. "Night, Sakura…" he whispered, perfectly aware she didn't hear it.

* * *

_His leg throbbed angrily, the awkward landing doing nothing for his already abused shin. His opponent didn't hesitate, didn't even pause, because there was never any sympathy to be found in the pit._

_Not if a soldier wanted to be victorious. His eyes shined an unnatural gold, void of any emotion, and the odd twist of tattoos snaked over his exposed arms restricted around him like snakes with each move._

_The battle axe raised high above the larger soldier's head came down toward him with speed and brutal force, and he narrowly managed to drag himself out of the way, panting hard._

_His tanto was far out of reach, leaving him weaponless and at the mercy of a Summon with strength, experience, size, and absolutely no mercy. Once, he could have possibly at least used his small size and speed to his advantage, but with his injury now… His eyes flickered to the side, locking with the cold gaze of his master, eyes watching like a hawk. This was it. This would decide his worth, here and now. Because his master had no use for a dull blade._

_Climbing back onto his feet with a cough, he watched the large, brutal Summon, noticing how he favored stepping forward on his right foot with each powerful swing, how there was some delay caused by an old injury in his left shoulder._

_So when he stepped into a wide stance, took one hand off the axe and swung as wide as he could to separate him from his torso, he knew what he had to do. The prickling over his skin came faster than before, his practice with shifting made the switch seamless, and he forced himself to jump._

_Landing on top of the axe's flat side and wasting no time running up, he took the momentary surprise of the soldier as an opportunity to get on his shoulder. Even his neck was well muscled and he wasn't sure if his claws would penetrate, but if he wanted to prove himself, he had to exploit any vulnerabilities he could._

_Even if that meant…_ making _them. Grabbing hold of the red, sweaty ear closest to him between his teeth, he clamped down and ripped up, digging his claws in deep for purchase in anticipation of the reaction he'd get. With an enraged roar, he was nearly dislodged, but his claws held fast, even as a hand came up to try and snatch him away. He ducked under it, shaking his head from side to side until the appendage he'd been assaulting ripped clean off._

_Blood flowed endlessly, the rubbery, severed ear strange on his tongue. Spitting it out, he hopped down, back on solid ground and squaring off with his enemy once again. When the axe came for him once more, he forced himself to stay still, waiting, waiting, waiting until it was close enough to almost slice off his whiskers and then moving. All the force behind the attack split the damp stone ground, trapping the weapon in it and nearly causing its wielder to lose balance. Darting between his legs, he retrieved his discarded tanto, shifting back into human form and grasping it in clammy fingers._

_While the Summon tried to unstick his axe, he was already leaping, thrusting the tanto straight through bone when he landed. His handlers had taught him to take advantage of not only his size and speed, but his budding shifter abilities, like the inordinate strength no ordinary child should possess._

_The limb flopped usually, bone shattered, arm popped from socket. Worn out, all he got from the Summon was a deep groan of defeat. He gave up on his axe and slumped forward, face pressed to the cool, dank stone floor._

_Stepping back, he surveyed the older soldier's vulnerable state, wondering if that was enough to show his master he could be a suitable weapon. He still had so much to learn, his handlers told him, yet he had some of the best skills and the most promise out of any of the young cadets. "He is down. Very good," his master's voice echoed through the cavernous room. "Kill him and end it."_

_His dark head snapped up and he blinked once, going to retrieve his tanto._

" _Master…if I may, I would be honored to finish the job for you." From the shadows stepped one of their master's most trusted, his gray hair making him unmistakable. In the past, he had been tasked with some of the cub's training, and despite what he knew they were training for, the older soldier had shown him kindness, in the small ways that he was able to, such as now, attempting to take the burden of killing away._

" _No…" their master's voice was unbendable steel. "If he is ever to take a place at my side and meet his full potential, five-thousand and eighty-six must learn to suppress all emotions. This is the quickest way." Pausing, five-thousand eighty-six saw their master turn with cane in hand, his one visible eye hard as he stared down his Summon. "Do you not agree, two-thousand and ninety-nine?"_

_Bowing his head humbly, they both knew he had lost. There was no way to go against their master without raising suspicions. "Of course, master."_

_Satisfied, their master stepped into the light, giving the cadet a better view of his stern, bandaged face. "Proceed, boy." Using his cane, their master hobbled forward and leaned against the railing to address the downed Summon. "One thousand and twenty-two. You have failed, and death is your punishment. You will not struggle."_

_One thousand and twenty-two stayed down, his laborious breathing having quieted down. Five-thousand eighty-six trailed closer, his mind unsure but his feet steady. The defeated soldier and the small cub locked eyes, and five-thousand eighty six noticed the sheen of mindless gold that had blotted out all emotion was gone._

_Tired gray eyes stared back at him, and even though his arm came up, the swing didn't carry the necessary force, and instead of the deep gash he'd hoped to make, it was a shallow nick to his neck that bled sluggishly._

_His body stiffened knowingly, realizing his mistake instantly. "Five thousand and eighty-six…after all this time…you haven't managed to shed your emotions, have you?"_

" _The fault is mine, master," Two thousand and ninety-nine said. "I let him slip. I—"_

" _No more," their master demanded. "Five thousand and eighty six, look this way." It wasn't as if he had a choice. His body was already being operated by forces beyond his control, and when he turned and met eyes with his master, a flash of red from behind the bandages seared its way into his skull, and he whined, doubling over. "You know what you need to do now."_

_Fire seared through his veins, his skin barely able to contain the liquid heat curling through him that made him feel as though he were being boiled alive. "Y-Yes…" he choked, a hazy film of compliance glazed over his mind, and with the last vestiges of free will he looked down and saw the curse markings snaking up his bare arms. Under his clothes, he knew it was spreading, Compelling every cell of him to obey._

_His eyes turned back on one thousand and twenty-two. Fear flickered briefly in his eyes, and then nothing at all. There was a little resistance left in the boy's mind, telling him he shouldn't, but then his master Compelled that out of him too, and he was a husk who couldn't remember why he was hesitant at all._

_The end was quick, steel flashing across one thousand and twenty-two's throat and he was dead with a few small jerks._

_From somewhere over his shoulder, slow clapping, an affirmation that_ this _was the only true master sliding into place. "What's your name?" His master called down to him._

" _I have no name." he replied._

" _How do you feel?"_

" _I have no feelings." He answered._

_With each word he spoke, everything else became mindlessly numb. The will to struggle. Fear. Hope. None of that was relevant unless his master told him so._

" _What do you recall of your past?"_

" _I have no past." He responded._

" _And what of your future?"_

" _I have no future."_

" _Five thousand and eighty six…tell me, what is there?"_

" _Only the mission." He recited._

The loud sound of the sheets ripping woke him from his light slumber. In the dark, he sat up, his feline eyes adjusting to his surroundings, until he recognized the room he had been staying in for weeks, inside his master's house. Up above, the kitsune was fast asleep and snoring, blissfully oblivious.

Sai sat up, realizing instantly he felt differently than when he'd fallen asleep. Understandable, considering he had shifted while unconscious. Slowly, Sai pried his claws from the sheets they'd ripped, staring down at the punctures in the innocent teal fabric and trying to decide how he would explain it to his master.

' _This hasn't happened in a while…_ ' Not since he was young, faced with the guilt that would plague him as a weighty repercussion for his actions. Before his conditioning had wiped it all away.

Nevertheless, as a child he'd shift in his sleep, waking up locked in his animal form indefinitely. It was…a way to cope. The longer spent in animal form, the more animal and human mind merged, until he was the jaguar through and through.

And the big cat never had to think about how many lives he took, the brutal training his master constantly subjected him to in order for him to stay sharp, or the loss of anything remotely resembling a true identity.

Animals excelled at living on instinct and in the moment, and it had been a small comfort when he was a cub who struggled to erase his emotions properly. In time, it came… A point where he could be in either form and no longer feel anything.

But in the last several weeks…no, even before that. It had all been unraveling strand by strand, until he felt naked and lost, trying to piece together a new version of himself. Was he a weapon for his master or a trusted partner? He still didn't really know. She seemed to trust him, or be starting to, but she didn't really know him.

With light steps, Sai left his bed, prowling to the cracked bedroom door and nosing it open. Creamy moonlight from a hall window touched his dark fur as if safeguarding him from all the things that haunted him in the darkness. Padding along silently, he made his way to the one room he knew he probably shouldn't enter. The door was shut, but as he took it in his mouth and twisted, thankfully not locked.

His nose twitched, taking in the unmistakable scent of his master, mingled with touches of Naruto around the room, especially near the bed and on the carpet. The fur along his back bristled and he walked further into the room, stopping and sitting back on his haunches right next to the side of the bed.

She slept peacefully, one arm cradled under her pillow and the other rested atop her blanket. Her long pink hair had been braided back, Sai allowing himself to sit and watch as her bangs fell across the bridge of her nose when she squirmed.

"Mm…" His ears pricked, and he found himself wondering if she could sense him thanks to their bond, if she would wake up and give him an angry stare or a fist to the snout. But her breathing was still deep and even, and so Sai silently kept watch.

At a glance, nothing about his new master was particularly impressive. She was very delicate looking, and he supposed she owed that to her fae heritage. But, he knew better than to underestimate her. Nothing about her was truly fragile. Not her spirit, her mind, and certainly not her fists.

And even though their initial meeting hadn't been the best one, she'd grudgingly come to accept him. He lived in her home, interacted with her friends and family, even ate meals with her. All the while she insisted on treating him with respect that he would have never received in his old life.

Frankly, he found it bizarre. There was a fine line between Summoner and Summon. A line between superior and subordinate. But Sakura crossed it all the time, rolling her eyes at the absurdity that their relationship could be anything less than that of equals.

Sakura twitched in her sleep, and with his enhanced vision, Sai could see her eyelids flutter rapidly for a while, a strained groan bubbling past her lips. Then she rolled over.

Curious, he leaned forward and sniffed her bare shoulder. The smell of distress trickled from her pores and clung to her skin. Her fingers grasped and let go, a scared gasp leaving her mouth next. ' _This is a nightmare._ ' He concluded. He'd never seen one but he knew the symptoms. When he thought of it, would the dream he'd woken up from be a nightmare too?

After completing his previous training, he stopped being able to dream altogether. Sai wasn't sure how to handle what he was witnessing, but the book about how to be more social that he'd been reading mentioned that when someone was in distress, it was best to provide comfort. The were-jaguar gave his Summoner a once over.

Would Sakura…want his comfort? He was trapped in his shift indefinitely regardless, so explaining what he was doing in her room would be hard. The last time he'd intentionally shifted and tried to comfort her while she slept…it didn't end well. Sakura groaned loudly, flopping onto her back with her face pinched.

Making a snap decision, he lifted himself up on his front paws and carefully draped half his body onto her bed. Purring gently, he focused on her scrunched face, trying to convey some sense of calm without using words. Sakura grunted, her face still tense, and Sai figured he'd overestimated his link to her.

As he started to back away, oddly, she took a deep, steadying breath, the movement behind her eyelids stilling and both hands coming to rest across her stomach. Sai was fascinated that she'd calmed down, wondering if she'd chased the nightmare away on her own or if he'd had anything to do with it.

' _Maybe…I should stay…'_ A Summon was sword and shield, even when the threat to their Summoner was their own mind. If there was any chance at all his presence kept her nightmares at bay, then it was his job to be by her side, even if that meant risking a hit. Sai kept his purring low but steady, watching her chest rise and fall, inching a little bit closer until his paws were near her side, resting his head down on them.

Sakura settled, sighing deeply and continuing to sleep on her back. After whatever ordeal she'd just gone through in her head, peace settled over the bedroom again, Sai noting her scent was no longer exuding any signs of distress. Although he knew he could slip out quietly, return to his own bed and wait to transform back when his body was ready, he kept watch.

Eventually, he could feel his own eyes growing heavy, drooping lower and lower, a yawn coming from his maw. There was no denying that even if only half of him rested on the bed, he was comfortable, and starting to get drowsy. Deciding he could deal with his master's disapproval later, he let his lids fall shut, snuggling down on the sheet covered in her smell and surrendering to a dreamless night.

* * *

Sakura woke up feeling better than she expected to, though slightly confused. She didn't usually sleep on her back… Rubbing one eye, then the other, she attempted to sit up, but the firm weight draped across her lap caught her attention. Jolting, she looked down to find a sleeping jaguar sprawled comfortably across her, and her mouth fell open noiselessly. Every brain cell short-circuited, because none of the exclamations rushing through her head made it past her lips.

Instead, Sakura watched Sai sleep, confused, surprised and a little annoyed to see him back in her room, and in animal form. The last time he'd come, she made it clear that popping up unannounced was a no-no. Or, she'd thought she had… Obviously not…

"Sai," she hissed. His right ear twitched, but he kept sleeping. Sakura wondered if she should be feeling more concerned than irritated. The last two times he'd been in her room, both as a big cat and a young man, he was wide awake, already staring directly into her face.

That creepy feeling of waking up to discover she'd been watched had played an admittedly large part in her decision to physically knock sense into him both times. But now, here he was sound asleep and looking harmless, in spite of the fact that he was a huge jungle cat, even bigger than the average adult jaguars she'd seen on TV.

But in spite of her reluctance, she wanted answers, and so she shifted to prop herself back against her pillows and tried to wriggle her legs out from under his weight. "Sai, wake up!"

The cat chuffed, his moist, leathery nose wiggling as bleary eyes opened to stare at her dazedly. Something constricted at how confused he appeared, such a sharp contrast to the time she'd seen him charge into a group of terrorist as a jaguar and taking them down one by one.

He could almost pass for an oversized stuffed animal. Maybe it was that moment of innocence that prompted Sakura to reach a hand out and place on his head. Some awareness started to enter Sai's eyes, but all she was able to focus on was how his coat was as soft as velvet under her fingers, short but so sleek.

Realizing she was becoming distracted, she halfheartedly pulled her hand away and cleared her throat, trying to put on an intimidating frown. "We've talked about this. So what's your excuse this time? Sleep walking?"

Sai slowly shook his head, opening his jaws to reveal lethal fangs and garbling out what was apparently supposed to be an explanation. Sakura raised a brow, and he looked down at himself and seemed to realize that getting her to understand wouldn't be possible.

Closing his eyes, she watched him shimmer, features gradually retracting into those of an incredibly pale teenage boy. He was dressed in pajamas just like her, a night shirt with three buttons that predictably wasn't covering his toned stomach, and navy pants. Sai leaned his arms on her bed, near her legs, sitting on his knees on her carpet. "Explain yourself," she huffed, noticing how Sai took some time to study each one of his fingers.

"You were having a nightmare." he blurted.

Sakura startled, vaguely remembering another dream about the mall incident, once again being trapped and seeing Ino and Sai slumped over lifelessly as the terrorists closed in on her.

"How could you know that?" Feeling a little more exposed than she wanted to all of a sudden, she stuck her hands in her armpits, crossing her arms tightly around her body _. 'Can he see my thoughts now?!'_ Shuddering in mortification, she saw Sai frown.

"I think I had one too…" A small snip of surprise bloomed in her chest. She hadn't been expecting any sort of answer that made sense, but… "I got up and found you tossing and turning. So I stayed." Flinching away as he finished, he peered at her with guilty eyes. "I…I wasn't supposed to, was I?"

Ignoring for the moment that Sakura was positive she'd closed her door the night before, which meant Sai had opened it, staying through her nightmare was…thoughtful.

"I'll let it go this time," she muttered, hoping he wouldn't comment on the light blushing coloring her face. "Thank you…that was…nice of you."

His shoulders relaxed and his eyes lost some of their apprehension. "I've been reading lots of books lately to, um, improve my social skills. I know I embarrass you often…" The shifter scratched at his cheek, uncharacteristically bashful. "I know that a good friend tries to lend support as often as possible, that's why when I figured out you were having a nightmare…" he trailed off.

Sakura nodded, starting to understand a little better. "But why didn't you just wake me up?"

Sai's endearingly bashful expression vanished, a familiar stoic mask appearing in its place. "I couldn't shift, and I wasn't sure waking up to a large cat looming over you would really calm you."

"Couldn't…shift?" Sakura repeated, no longer able to deny that there was some concern at the news. As far as she'd always known, a mature shifter could shift at will, barring some instances she'd read of where psychological trauma or intense physical pain forced a shifter to retreat into their animal to recover.

He'd said he'd had a nightmare, too. Her green eyes widened, mapping out every line of his blank face. So many things about Sai's past were a mystery, but there was no doubt in her mind that it was a dark one. "Sai…" she swallowed softly. "Do you…do you want to talk about what you dreamt?"

A chink in the armor of his mask exposed some fleeting emotion, but then he swallowed it up deep inside, his eyes faraway and thoughtful. "I was a child again, training to please my old master."

Already, her heart was full of trepidation. She couldn't imagine what kind of unethical _training_ a Compeller would force on a child. But if she wanted to understand Sai better, and he was willing to tell her, she felt obligated to listen as his Summoner. "What happened next?"

"I won the fight, but he told me to kill my opponent, and I hesitated."

Sakura was so grateful she hadn't eaten anything yet, because she could already feel bile churning in her stomach. "I'm guessing that wasn't the end of it,"

He tilted his head back, eyes focused on the ceiling. "I was Compelled to kill him in the end. And it reminded me that the mission was always the only thing that mattered."

"No," she snapped, hands balling into fists. "That was always a lie!" Hot anger surged to meld with the protectiveness overcoming her. "You know that now, don't you?"

The shifter looked to be at a loss for words, mouth falling open in consternation as his eyebrows pinched close. "If you asked me to, I would—"

"I'd never ask," she said hurriedly, leaning forward and fixing him with a stubborn glare. "I would _never ask_ you to give up your humanity for me." The thought made her pulse with disgust. What sick person could ever put that weight on a child, and think nothing of it?

Without thinking, she reached out and seized one of his hands, squeezing it as hard as she dared. Sakura had known for a while that she had a disproportionately large amount of raw strength when provoked, and she wasn't feeling too in control of her emotions.

"Sometimes," she began, trying to maintain eye contact. "I dream about the mall and about the…the guns and the fight and…" She stopped herself, but Sai listened patiently, so she pressed on, "I guess what I'm saying is I see a lot of things I don't want to when I close my eyes. But when I open them," A small grin curled her lips. "And I remember you helped me out back then, I feel like _I'm_ the one that needs to prove I can stand at your side, supporting you like an equal."

"Master…"

"Sakura," The pinkette had tried to reason with him multiple times to drop the title and call her by her first name, but Sai was steadfast in his resolve to show deference. Lately, it made her feel a little lonely.

"This is all still new to me…" he admitted, back to his previous sheepish expression. "But I think as long as I can stay by your side and keep learning all the things I didn't know before, I'll be fine."

Hands still intertwined, Sakura brought them up and down in a friendly shake. "Deal," she smirked.

Sai started to release her hand, but before she could slip hers out from under his, he clutched it tight. Assuming he still wanted some comfort, Sakura allowed it, starting a little when her door burst open, Naruto strutting through with a wide smile.

"Good morning, Sakura-cha—" His feet stopped so abruptly it looked like he'd gotten glued in place by a sticky trap. "What the hell is he doing in here?!" With a vicious point, Naruto advanced toward the bedside, wrapping a hand in Sai's shirt and yanking him to his feet. But he maintained his grip on her hand, so she was jerked forward too.

"Ah, Naruto-kun, sleep well?"

"Don't try to change the subject, you bastard! You were in here with Sakura-chan?!" The kitsune shook him wildly and the pinkette finally pried her hand free. Her relief didn't last long, because Naruto whirled on her with his cheeks puffed out and red. "Just say the word and I'll handle him."

Rolling her eyes, Sakura exited the warm cocoon of her bed and stretched. Only after noticing both boys were glancing down at the generous strip of skin that exposed did she hastily jerk down her top. "What I'm wondering is who's going to handle _you_. Are you always this alert in the mornings?"

"Not always," Naruto blushed. "He just…he just really gets under my skin!"

"I thought we bonded last night," Sai reasoned. "About how much Naruto-kun packs and how small his—"

Naruto howled, throwing Sai to the floor and then leaping on top of him, attempting to wrestle him into submission. Sakura watched, perplexed, considering breaking them up. Would it even do any good?

They'd just go right back at it sooner or later… They could work it out…eventually. Gingerly stepping around them, she made her way to the bathroom, leaving her Summons rolling around on her bedroom floor.

* * *

Naruto let himself in with his spare key and rolled his eyes as he smelled the heavy scent of alcohol and heard ero-jiji's unmistakable laughter.

He hated that Jiraiya was… _entertaining_ when he got to his house. It was barely four in the afternoon and the man was having some noisy poker game with an orc, a woman on each arm and a healthy flush already settled over his cheeks.

The blonde hadn't been in the best mood since earlier in the morning when he'd caught Sai alone with Sakura, and dealing with a drunk, lecherous Jiraiya wasn't high on his list of how to have a good time, but Sakura was counting on him.

Besides that, he'd been the one to pitch the idea, so he had to be the one to check it out. Stomping into the parlor so they'd all see him, Naruto made a point of shooting his godfather the kind of exasperated glare he was sure his parents would—Eyes squinted, lips thinned, arms crossed.

"Narr-u-to?" he hiccupped, the slightest slur in his words. The white-haired oni unwrapped his arms from around the two scantily clad young women cuddled up with him on the couch, and they whined in disappointment. "What're ya doin' here? Thought ya went home with yer par-parents?"

The orc threw up his thick, hairy arms and snuffled through his pig-like nose. "What now, Jiraiya?! This kid shouldn't be here…unless he's got the money. Then, the more the merrier." Naruto ignored the slimy grin on the impatient orc's face, his thick tongue coming out to lick the corner of his mouth in greed. Jerk. He thought he'd be an easy mark.

Probably one of Jiraiya's pub friends, if Naruto had to guess. When he was a little kit and had asked why his godfather was such a frequent customer at magical pubs, he'd told him it was one of the very best places to get information in his line of work.

But when he was a teenager, he had started to doubt that… All he did was write gross adult books that made his dad grimace and his mom crinkle her face in disgust. He'd secretly skimmed through them and, well…he didn't get the big deal. Still, it was how Jiraiya somehow managed to make a living. As an adult author.

The matter of the pub, though, he had long suspected was unrelated. His mom had grumbled once that a magical pub was the best place to find women, booze and trouble, and then promptly forbidden him from ever setting foot in one. It was a promise Naruto didn't have to try too hard to keep.

Any curiosity surrounding the matter went away when he found Jiraiya drunk, broke and half naked, passed out on his couch after a visit gone wrong. Naruto never wanted to find himself in that pathetic position.

Jiraiya got to his feet, swaying for a second and then gaining his balance. "Calm down, Maeda," he groaned, the sound of his joints popping echoing in the room. "He's just my godson." Scratching at his scalp, he eyed Naruto suspiciously. "Though as you can see, this _isn't_ the best time Naruto," he muttered. "So any particular reason why you're here?"

Naruto had thought of that already too. "I'm Sakura-chan's Summon now," he shrugged lightly, arms folded up behind his head. "You're gonna be seeing me around a lot."

Some sobriety started to return to Jiraiya's face. "'Scuse me a minute, would you?" He didn't wait for his guests to answer as he dragged Naruto out of the room by his shoulder.

The blonde allowed himself to be pulled down the hall, until they were in Jiraiya's office, exactly where he wanted to be. For a perv, he had to admit that he'd done a good job decorating this particular room. Maybe because he spent so much time in it.

Two walls were lined from floor to ceiling with texts of all varieties, subjects he'd studied in his worldly travels over the years. His wide mahogany desk housed a sleek black laptop, stacks of unfinished manuscripts and a few charmed trinkets that smelled like witch magic.

The expensive oxblood carpet under their feet muffled their footsteps into silence. Jiraiya shut his office door, stuck a silencing charm at the top and leaned back against it.

"Well, well," The oni grinned widely. "Don't you move fast? Went and wrangled yourself a pretty girl to move in with? I taught you well." He chortled, and Naruto made a face. Stroking his chin, he continued, "I have to say though, poor Sakura is getting the raw end of this deal. She's gonna be depending on a knucklehead like you from now on?" He shook his head with a scoff.

"Oh shut up," Naruto snapped. "I'm gonna be a Summon she can depend on, you'll see! Unlike you I take this sort of thing seriously!"

Jiraiya leaned forward with a smirk. "Oh yeah? Then what're you even doing here? Seems like a new Summon would be stuck to their Summoner's side like glue."

"I've got my reasons," Jiraiya looked at him in bemusement. "I know you can find somebody to help Sakura-chan train. Dangerous people are after her, and she needs to know how to protect herself!"

Jiraiya peered down at him with an unreadable expression. "I know, kid. I've already talked about it with Tsunade,"

Naruto perked up at the news. "R-Really?!"

"Yeah," he blew some white hair out of his face, "I may or may not have a few contacts I could ask, but these things take time." Naruto bit the inside of his cheek impatiently. "Did you ever think maybe Sakura's not in the best frame of mind right now?" He held up a hand and began pushing down his fingers, listing off recent events, "The mall attack, the hospital, dealing with _you_ and that other kid…Fighting off dangerous people takes dangerous training. None of you are ready for it."

The fox's eyes widened, sputtering nonsensical noises of protest. "B-But…y-you!"

"Trust me," The hand Jiraiya sat on his shoulder was heavy. He peered down into his face sternly, no trace of the goofy, irresponsible womanizer to be found. "I know what I'm doing. Leave this to the adults. You get back home and figure out how you can strengthen your bond in the meantime. I'm no expert, but I know you can't be away for long when the connection's still so new."

" _Jiraiya~!_ " A shrill voice cooed from the other room. "We're getting cold," Naruto made a face at the pout in the woman's voice.

A large, lecherous smile curled his lips, and he reached up and ripped down the tag that kept them from hearing the conversation inside the office. Opening the door, he peered out, Naruto only able to imagine the creepy face he was making.

"Can't have that, can we?" he chuckled grandly. "Just a second, I'll send this kid on his way and be right back out to you lovely ladies."

"Hurry then," The woman purred, brushing her body against his as she passed. Naruto noticed the thin, dark pink tail swishing enticingly behind her for the first time, and the small, stubby horns growing out of her brown hair.

Jiraiya shut the door and turned back to him, practically drooling. "Succubus," he rubbed his hands together, eyes crinkling. "They're insatiable, you know."

"Gross," Naruto stuck out his tongue and closed his eyes. "Spare me."

"Well, soon enough you'll be older and then maybe your attitude'll change." Jiraiya opened the door again and stepped back out into the hall. "Remember what I said, Naruto. Tsunade and I will decide when you kids are ready. Stay out of trouble until then,"

"Yeah, yeah…" Naruto breezily waved a hand, watching his godfather go running back into the parlor for another round of poker…and female company.

Sighing, the kitsune knew he wouldn't get any useful information out of him at this point…not going about it the normal way, at least. But kitsune were plenty sneaky, and he'd happily put that to good use if it helped Sakura in anyway.

"What took so long?" His sensitive hearing heard the orc complain. "Shoulda just collected my winnings and scrammed. But I'm a nice guy, so I decided to give you a chance to keep playing."

"Don't be like that." Jiraiya was saying. "Kid's a kitsune and he went out and found himself a Summoner. I had to impart a little godfatherly advice is all."

"Oh," The dark haired succubus breathed, "I love a man that's nurturing." Naruto discreetly peered into the room to see her rubbing his chest, her eyes never leaving his face. Fighting the reflex to vomit his breakfast, he allowed himself to become intangible to the naked eye.

"That's me, baby!" Jiraiya crowed proudly, pushing some more poker chips across the mat. The redheaded succubus on his other side giggled, rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped herself around his arm. She couldn't get any physically closer to him if they actually melded together.

"Summoners are rarer and rarer these days." The orc grunted, picking up some chips of his own. "Any wonder so many of 'em are disappearing? You know they go for a pretty penny on the black market."

Naruto felt his hair bristle and his fingernails starting to turn into claws. He gripped the wall, trying not to give himself away.

"I doubt that's what those kidnappings are about, though," The redhead with the pixie cut hummed. "Seems too flashy. They'd be getting snatched in the dead of night with no witnesses if they were being trafficked."

The conversation continued to make him uncomfortable, all of them talking so casually about such a dark topic, but Naruto knew this could be his only chance to hear it before he had to come back and go digging through Jiraiya's things. And despite everything to the contrary, his godfather was by no means stupid. He excelled at keeping his own secrets.

"Well whatever's happening, Uchiha's on the case. That man's like a dog with a bone when it comes to solving crimes like this." Jiraiya interjected smoothly.

"The arrogant prick's too proud of his sterling reputation not to be," The orc laughed mirthlessly, "But if he was really so smart, he woulda already gone down to the club district and asked after Chikafusa. Nothin' happens nowhere in them circles unless he knows about it."

"That slimy fight promoter?" The dark-haired succubus giggled, leaning forward to retrieve her drink from the table and giving the room more than an eyeful of what was down her top. Naruto quickly tried to clear his head. _'Gah! Sakura-chan…I'm only here to help Sakura-chan!'_

"I hear he's promoting this newcomer in this big fight that's happening tomorrow night down at Shadow Heart." The redhead said thoughtfully. "He's been winning left and right. Seems like a man like that'd have pretty good _stamina_ in other areas, don't you think?" She licked her lips in such a sultry way, Naruto couldn't help but follow the path her tongue took, swallowing thickly and willing himself to stay invisible.

"Ouch," Jiraiya whined. "Aren't we having fun right here and now?" He squeezed her around the waist, and she turned to him with an impish smile. When she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in with puckered lips, Naruto turned away, decided he'd seen enough.

Getting down on all fours, he crept down the hall and to the kitchen, quietly prying open the first window he spotted. It was a little bit of a tight squeeze, and a couple of times he was afraid someone would get wise to the fact that an invisible kitsune was around, but he made it out unscathed.

* * *

Mrs. Yamanaka let them all in with a smile, wrapping her in a warm hug and speaking kindly to both the boys. Sakura was a bundle of nerves as she stepped inside her friend's house, guilt roiling through her.

She didn't feel right, lying to Ino's mom when she'd always been so warm and welcoming. She wasn't even sure this idea Ino and Naruto had talked her into was a good one. ' _You're sneaking into a club, what was your first clue?'_ Her conscious decided to come out and berate her one more time.

"Ino's out back in the greenhouse," Mrs. Yamanaka was still drying her hands with a small towel from the kitchen. "You know the way, Sakura, dear."

"Thank you…" Sakura led the way, cringing at how small and guilty her voice sounded.

As they stepped out into the back garden, Naruto gasped in exclamation at the thick foliage trimmed neatly away from the branching path that encompassed the large yard. In spite of everything, Sakura managed a tiny smile. She had lots of good memories of playing with Ino here during her summers in childhood. Ino would act as both a botanist and a guide, showing her all kinds of plants and flowers from the exotic to the mundane, explaining the meaning or purpose of each one.

When the passed by a corral where a solitary lamb grazed on grass, Sai paused. The little animal saw him and came bounding over with an excited bleat. "Friend of yours?" Naruto snickered.

Tentatively, Sai stuck his fingers through the slats and the baby nuzzled at them. "She's from the Barometz." He said slowly. "Her front leg was twisted in vines when she came out, so Ino decided they would keep her here." The lamb trailed them from the other side of the fence as Sai withdrew his fingers and they kept walking, finally wandering off when the pen stopped and she couldn't follow any further.

Something warm tugged at Sakura's heart. The mental image of a jaguar curled protectively around a lamb was a funny, but very cute one.

"I should probably tell you both not everything here's as cute or harmless as that lamb," Sakura warned. Spinning around, she walked backwards, pointing between her two Summons. "Some things are poisonous, some things are pretty prickly and some things don't like being poked and they'll poke you back. Got it? Keep your hands to yourself if you want them."

Sai nodded obediently, but Naruto wore an expression between surprise and mild horror. "What the hell? Are you saying she grows killer roses? Or, or vicious violets?"

Sakura shrugged one shoulder, keeping a cryptic smile on her face. "Something like that." Turning, she found a fifty foot glass dome looming in the center of the garden where the separate paths converged, the reflective surface fogged by mist.

Pressing open the large glass dome, they found Ino easily, seated up on a ladder, leaning over a giant plant in a long trough of dirt at least six feet tall. She had all her hair piled up in a messy bun and a toothbrush in hand. The plant had a long stalk and purple-tinted leaves, a rounded tulip-like bulb lined with razor sharp teeth currently open and very close to the blonde's hands. As they got closer, they could clearly hear Ino muttering to it. "You're such a messy eater," she scolded. "The others self-clean."

"W-Wha-what is that?!" Naruto yelped, quickly hiding behind Sakura. Peering over her shoulder, he emphatically shook his head. "No! No, no, no, no!"

His voice drew Ino's attention, and she slowly removed her hand from the creature's mouth, climbing down. "You're all kinda early," Noticing Naruto quaking, she laughed quietly. "What's wrong with him?"

"What's wrong with _you_?!" Naruto spat. "Do you see that thing?"

"For your information," Ino huffed, "Itsuki's gentle and sweet as long as he eats on time. Plus," she added with a gleam in her eyes, "He knows me."

Sakura nodded along in agreement, "She's right. All the plants, even the most dangerous ones, love Ino. She's not the one in danger."

Ino pulled off the protective gloves she'd been wearing and set the toothbrush aside. "Enough about that, though. I'm surprised you showed up, Forehead!" Sakura scowled as her friend poked her hard in the center of her forehead to prove the point. "I've got everything ready in my room," She motioned with a sweeping gesture for them to follow as she made for the exit.

Sakura gave the boys a determined look, hoping they didn't sense anything out of place through their Limiters as she walked behind Ino.

Luckily, Mrs. Yamanaka wasn't around when they reentered the house, and Sakura could feel her heart galloping in her throat as she took the stairs two at a time to Ino's room.

Doubts started to creep over her once again, and Sakura hoped that rationale could prevail if she phrased it tactfully. "Ino…isn't this…really risky? We don't even know if we'll—"

"Ssh!" the blonde tutted, ushering them all into her room and quickly locking the door behind them. "Look Sakura, I get why you're nervous…but you heard Naruto—the adults aren't gonna help until they think you're ready. And we know you're ready now, right?"

Although Sakura wasn't so sure about that, the confident grin Ino wore was convincing, if nothing else…

"Right…"

"So we go and poke around a little, maybe find and talk to that Chikafusa guy, and then we leave."

"You really make it sound so simple," The pink-haired girl rolled her eyes.

"It is if we do things my way," Ino dashed over to her closet and pulled out several bags, dumping them on her bed. The minute Sakura had relayed the information Naruto had stumbled upon, Ino was suspiciously enthusiastic about acting on it.

She took it upon herself to handle getting them all disguises, and insisted she knew exactly how to find the club. All Sakura had to do was show up at her best friend's house under the guise of going out for a movie and then coming back later for a sleepover. And, despite her better judgement, Sakura agreed.

"Boys, these are for you." Ino held out two bags full of what the pinkette could only assume were brand new clothes. Any excuse to shop, no matter the occasion, was a good one.

Naruto took one of the bags she was holding toward him and cautiously peeked inside. "Eh?" For good measure he sniffed. "Leather?" Naruto took out black jeans with silver chains hanging from the pockets, a t-shirt with a band logo and a supple leather jacket. Sakura couldn't believe how fast Ino got into all this. For someone whose father was an interogator, she was far too comfortable in engaging in borderline illegal activites. Sneaking into a club underaged, somehow securing entry into an illegal cage match...

"Duh!" Ino tisked. "I've done my research. The people that hang around that club are tough customers. We have to do our best to blend in or it's over before it's even started!" She tossed a bag at Sai, which he caught easily. He reached in and pulled out the first article of clothing. Sakura gaped at the small leather short shorts.

"These don't look like they'll allow for easy movement. Isn't it better to have versatility if we're going on a covert mission?" Sai mused, holding the tiny shorts out in front of him between his thumbs and index fingers.

"Mm," Ino's eyes twinkled, and Sakura wanted to step on her foot. "The movements may not be easy, but they'll still be fun to watch,"

Sakura stomped over and snatched the shorts from Sai's hands, tossing them to the side. "Ino, he's not going out in hooker shorts."

Grumbling, the blonde sat on the edge of her bed and fished into another bag. "I knew you'd ruin the fun as usual, so here, this is my backup."

Sai took the pants being proffered to him. This time they were a pair of red leathers that still left very little to the imagination…but at least, Sakura thought, they weren't obscenely small.

"I know you're into crop tops, and I think that fits the image we're going for anyway, so there's one in the bag. You boys can take turns changing in the bathroom."

Naruto's face instantly went aflame, and he clutched his clothes tighter. "Good, 'cause I don't wanna change in front of _him_." He leveled a wary glare towards Sai, who stood there innocently.

"Why not?" The dark-haired shifter questioned, "I already know you're a boy, just not much of—"

Naruto snarled, marching out of the room with clothes in hand.

"What was that about?" Sakura asked worriedly. "Sai, are you pushing his buttons again?"

Sai shrugged, a shallow smile on his face. "There's no need to. Naruto-kun wears his emotions so close to the surface they get pushed all on their own."

Sakura considered that yes, Naruto was a very passionate, emotional person. But that didn't mean that Sai wasn't helping it along by antagonizing him.

"He's part of the team now, too." Sakura turned away to start rummaging in the bags left on the bed, one of them containing clothes Ino wanted her to wear. "Try to, you know, get along. _Really_ get along."

Sai left with a nod, and when she looked up, Ino was shaking her head, a sympathetic look in her eyes. "Let me guess, those two are still trying to feel each other out?"

Sakura rolled her shoulders, which had grown stiff from all the tension in her body. "Something like that…"

"Well!" Ino whipped off her shirt and then reached for the waistband of her shorts. "Forget them for now. I mean yeah, we're technically doing some dangerous spying here, but I've got my dad's techniques, so we'll be fine. If we're sneaking into a club anyway, might as well have some fun, too!"

Sakura stepped back as her friend pulled out a pair of fishnet stockings and put them on carefully. "Ino are you crazy? Seriously, I can't believe I'm going along with this in the first place…but now you're suggesting we _really_ should go clubbing?"

Ino didn't respond right away, making sure her stockings were up and then reaching for something else. It was a sleeveless cerulean blue dress, with meshing from the neckline down to the cleavage in a triangular shape and more mesh up the sides of the dress starting from the waist and stopping at the upper thighs. All things considered, it wasn't the most provocative outfit, but it definitely looked like a party dress, and she watched Ino unzip it and slip it over her head.

"How do I look?" She spun, striking a pose.

Gorgeous, as always. Sakura had never seen Ino wear a look she couldn't pull off. "Like you do this every weekend," A thought struck her. " _Do_ you do this every weekend?"

Ino giggled, sashaying to her closet and pulling out a matching blue pair of boots that stopped mid-calf with at least half a dozen straps. As she sat down in front of her dresser and started slipping one on, she looked back at Sakura and batted her eyelashes. "I have my secrets and you have yours." She teased. Ino made quick work of getting on the other boot and then stood up. "Anyway, it's your turn. You might have the most work to do…"

Sakura felt her cheeks puff out in indignation. "What's that supposed to mean? Are you calling me ugly?" She knew she was no Ino. She never had been. Even when they were little girls, people would gush over how pretty and feminine Ino was, how she'd grow up to become so beautiful and have the world in the palm of her hand.

They never paid too much attention to the shy crybaby always tagging along behind her… Those that knew about Sakura's potential Summoning magic would even question if there was some mistake, if maybe Ino wasn't the one out of the two of them who was meant to have it. It would make sense, because Ino was pretty, smart, stylish and talented. And Sakura was…well, in the background.

Here they were all these years later, and a small part of her was still insecure about it. _'I can't believe I'm this pitiful,'_ she thought bitterly.

"Oh chill out, Sakura," Ino scoffed, placing a hand to her chest as she strolled over. "We both know you're cute…in a…totally dorky way…otherwise you wouldn't have boys trailing after you lately."

Sakura made a face, placing her hands in her lap. "Are you _still_ stuck on that?"

"But with my help," Ino continued, ignoring her, "You'll go from cute to irresistible." When Ino put both hands on her shoulder and gave her a devious grin, Sakura had more doubts than ever. "Trust me?" she cooed.

"N-No…" Sakura squeaked.

"Too bad." And then she pounced.

**ARfF**

All she could do was run a hand down her face. If it really _was_ her face. Ino had been so thorough…Sakura herself would have thought she was looking at a stranger if she didn't know she was the one in front of the mirror.

The blonde's grinning face popped up from over her shoulder. Her hair was down for a change in beautiful, pale yellow waves, a fragrant blue flower she couldn't quite name pinned up behind her ear. Ino had applied some makeup and was more stunning than before with her smoky eyeshadow, expertly done mascara and lipstick the shade of crushed red rose petals. "I told you, didn't I?" she boasted. "You don't even recognize yourself, and no one else will either. Not that I think we'll see anyone we know there," she shrugged. "But better safe than sorry."

Sakura could only nod dumbly, still caught up with checking out the girl in the mirror. Ino had made a good point that her hair was far, far too recognizable, and so she'd come prepared. Sakura now sported a bright red wig that came to her shoulders, and Ino had braided off the pieces behind her ears to join at the back in a bun she'd manage to shape like a rose.

It left her very noticeably fae ears on display, but Ino assured her that didn't need hiding. So she let her friend talk her into fishnets and a leather mini skirt that she only agreed to wear because it had pockets (albeit not ones she could easily get into…the skirt was skintight!).

It was the powder pink corset top that gave her pause, though. She'd never worn anything so…form-fitting. But Ino insisted corsets were a big thing with young crowds at clubs. "Wow Forehead," she heard the blonde whistle near her ear. "You've been hiding a lot behind those baggy clothes, huh?"

Sakura blushed, crossing her arms completely over her chest and whirling around. The black boots Ino gave her to wear had three inch wedge heels, and it made her feel oddly empowered. The eyeshadow and pretty purple lipstick Ino had on her gave her a sense of maturity she wasn't sure how to feel about, and the fake lip piercing that connected up to one of the clip on earrings in her ear reminded her of the kids that hung around outside the gates after school sharing a cigarette. The ones her mother warned her to stay away from.

And speaking of moms… "Your mom's never letting us out of the house looking like this." Sakura informed her friend, shrugging on the patterned bomber jacket lined with fur around the hood.

Ino's scary smile was back, "Oh, leave it to me."

* * *

The excitement and desperation mingled in the air made his nose burn. The growing crowds weren't even close to him, and he could smell it like he was right in the middle of them. His lip curled a little, disgusted with them and with himself.

They were so anxious for bloodshed…and he would be the one providing it, no matter what his true motives were. That made him as bad as them. Worse, maybe. Considering there was a part of him that reveled in it all, too…

The mysterious Fuu was supposed to be a contender. Someone that could give even him a run for his money. If the rumors were true and he wasn't careful, this could be his final fight…

The steel door leading to his "resting room" swung open, Chikafusa stepping in followed by one of his burly bodyguards. "Are you ready to show them how a true champion fights?"

Gaara stood, his face inscrutable. "Lead the way."

Chikafusa was practically bouncing on his heels, the ends of his two long catfish-like whiskers shaking. "Yes, yes!" he clapped. He scurried out first, followed by his bodyguard, and Gaara last. "Remember, this is a big fight, so don't be afraid to get vicious," His tinny voice called from somewhere down near his bodyguard's legs. "It's what the audiences came to see—a bloodbath."

Gaara was only half listening. He didn't need the advice anyway. Instead his eyes roved over the muscular wall of the silent bodyguard's back as he hunched to get through the door. Gaara smelled bear… A were-bear shifter. Still no match for a tanuki, but the disgraced prince was willing to let Chikafusa believe what he wanted. He'd be done with the little man soon enough.

The walk out to the cage was filled with Chikafusa's chatter, most of which he ignored or, answered with a disinterested grunt. The closer they came, the louder the crowds, and when two of Chikafusa's assistants sprang up from the gloomy hallway to push open another set of heavy metal doors, the noise reached a fever pitch.

Gaara stepped out into artificial light so bright it was blinding at first, but then his eyes quickly adjusted, and he could see he was standing on a long metal walkway that led to the biggest cage he'd fought in yet. The place was packed with shady customers piled in like canned sardines, all wanting to see this big matchup.

Gaara moved forward, and through the metal bars of the cage, he could see his opponent doing the same. He quietly sized him up. Mischievous lavender eyes stared back. The eyes alone were enough to give away that he wasn't human, but his smell was…unlike any species he'd come across. His hair, a pale silvery blue that spiked messily and was held back by a short ponytail, was a very distinct color.

Unlike Gaara, who wore a mesh top and light shorts that wouldn't restrict his movements, his opponent was dressed in a full white robe, something like a ceremonial kimono. It looked heavy. Then again, rumors had it this "Fuu" was an eccentric character.

The gates to the cage opened and they both stepped in on their respective sides. He'd been so busy assessing his foe, he'd miss the announcer's introductions of the fighters.

"You must be the one they call Hikage," he bowed, one hand wrapped around his stomach. "I'm Fuu. And I hear you're undefeated."

Gaara's eyes were as icy a midwinter blizzard. "So are you."

Fuu grinned brightly, almost child-like. "That's right, and I'm so glad we'll finally be getting the kind of fight we both deserve." He raised his arms to stoke the crowd's fire and was met by a crescendo of shouts.

"If the fighters will take their places…" The announcer's voice echoed.

Gaara backed away, taking up a stance that would allow him to shift accordingly to what his opponent would do. Fuu stayed where he was, keeping his own loose stance. The bell rang and with a sound like a whip, a lash of lightning came down toward Gaara.

He dodged, narrowly avoiding his arm getting caught. Fuu did it again, holding a bolt of it in his hand like a sword and swinging with deadly speed. Gaara was used to being the one who had his opponents on the ropes, but, Fuu was truly as good as everyone said (and damn fast) and the crowd was loving it.

Once their champion, they were happy to switch their support to the apparent new victor. But the fight was far from over, and when Fuu tried to run at him with the lightning rod, Gaara easily evaded again, knowing Fuu was just testing the waters.

No sooner had he gotten out of the way than white hot pain lanced through his shoulder, Fuu's leering grin taunting him as he jerked his weapon out. He was so fast...he hadn't even seen the feint. Nevertheless, he now knew he needed to get the annoying lightning rods he favored away from him. The next one Fuu threw, Gaara deflected by shifting into stone.

No one, not even his opponent had known he could shift into inanimate objects, and the boulder deflected the bolt while protecting him from the electricity. The arena lights, however, weren't so lucky. The deflected sparks flew everywhere, and this time he heard the audience scream, not in excitement but for their own wellbeing. The lighting flickered and then went dark, encasing the area in a tense silence.

Gaara adjusted just fine, using his heightened sense to get the preemptive on Fuu, lashing out at him with a fist encased in a thin layer of sand. He was surprised when another fist blocked his own, the sound of crumbling sand clashing making him stagger back. "How?" he asked.

"You're not the _only_ sand-wielder in the circuit." Fuu whispered menacingly.

Gaara didn't have time to ponder the implications, because Fuu was coming at him full force, driving another sand-encased fist for him. He could feel it in the shift of air. The tanuki engaged, letting some of his own sand break away to form a shield and stop the blow.

In the dark they fought driven on by their other senses, not caring about all the booing from the spectators that had no doubt paid a fortune and couldn't see, not caring about anything except unleashing all their pent up aggression.

When the backup generator caused the lights to switch back on, they were both covered in superficial cuts, but neither had slowed down. Fuu circled, and he circled back. His lavender eyes shrunk into narrowed slits and his bruised lips fought down a smirk. "You're just as good as I was hoping, but I think this'll be the end." The veins around his eyes bulged and thickened and his fighting stance changed. "I can see all your vulnerabilities now."

Gaara wasn't sure what technique he was suddenly using, but he knew that if he was standing that way, he needed to keep his distance. Tiny particles of sand floated through the air, barely enough to notice, but Gaara made to keep them well-dispersed. Cloaking areas that Fuu might take for vulnerabilities.

As his opponent charged at him, Gaara was careful to dance around even the lightest tap, somehow knowing if one landed it could be trouble. It felt almost like a dance that Fuu was pulling him along in, always leading. If he wanted to win, Gaara knew he needed to trip up his steps.

"Stay still and let Fuu clobber ya!" someone screamed.

"Take the crowd's advice," Fuu sneered, launching for him with a fist sparking blue. Gaara's eyes widened as the silver-haired male leapt, his arm curled all the way back as if he would chop right through Gaara with a high-powered electric hit when he landed.

He had no doubt that's what he was hoping. When his hand connected with Gaara's shoulder and stuck fast, electricity being stifled, he could see the cocky façade dropping for the first time. Gaara materialized from the collection of sand particles he'd scattered, solidifying his entire body behind Fuu, his hand shifted into a dagger. "Don't move," he growled.

Fuu, cocky as ever, didn't believe he was beat. He attempted to turn his head, no doubt to delivering some snarky remark, and Gaara let the dagger slice across his throat. The crowd was dead silent, watching Fuu's body go limp. Blood had splattered far across the cage, some of it landing on the faces of the crowd. Gaara saw one face, up near the front and staring up at him with stunned, familiar green eyes, her face splattered in blood, and somehow he'd never seen anything so beautiful. But...her hair was red.

The crowd was just starting to work themselves out of the stupor, and through the roars and everyone up on their feet, he could hear the announcer, declaring him the undisputed winner. The sand of his substitute that had held Fuu's body in place sifted away and he slumped to the matted floor like a marionette that had its strings cut.

The yelling and booing and cheers were mingling into a sea of wild, indiscernible noises, and Gaara was starting to get tired of it. Chikafusa and several other officiators rushed forward to congratulate him, and one of them had a briefcase he knew was full of money.

Gaara was trying to remain calm even as his agitation grew, but he caught a scent he hadn't smelled in over a week, and he thought about the familiarity of the girl's eyes, despite her hair being the wrong color. It clicked into place, and something like disbelief bubbled up inside.

How stupid was she, to come to a place like this?! Gaara turned away from Chikafusa and the others, no doubt confusing them, but he was looking for that idiotic girl, secretly inhaling, hoping to find her by scent. There was the faint trace of her, but it was already been drowned out by all the other smells.

And the girl...the girl was gone.

* * *

Sakura's vision was blurred, and the warm bodies all squeezed so close to hers made her feel nauseous. Using just enough enhanced strength to get by, she waded through, headed for the sloped ramp that led back out to the main club, and hopefully the exit.

Right now she was really too dizzy to tell…she just knew she had to get away. Someone died. She'd just watched someone die. His blood was still on her face: warm, sticky and revolting and when the killer looked at her with ominous golden eyes, she couldn't tell if the interest she saw in them was intent to kill or something else entirely.

It didn't matter, because she was leaving and never coming back to the club again. Someone pushed her from behind, and she gasped, her boots nearly catching and losing her balance. A swarm of bodies behind her shoved her through the door, and suddenly she was grabbing onto the back of a booth, back in the club.

The dance floor was full of gyrating bodies of all shapes and sizes, bathing in the flashing purple strobe lights, and for a minute Sakura watched mesmerized. She saw tails, wings and horns, and hair in every color of the rainbow, plus some colors she'd never imagined could exist. She saw scales and tattoos and outfits far tighter and more provocative than what she had on.

She almost felt like she was dressed _modestly_ in comparison. It was such a sight, so bizarre and yet…strangely alluring. Humans would probably look at them and see a floor full of freaks, dancing around like they were at a Halloween party in costume. But oh, how far from the truth that was…they were real, and this crazy nightlife was real. They probably came here often, all of them, to let loose in a place where no one could judge.

The music the DJ was blasting sent a hypnotic pulse through the floor that started at her toes and went straight up to her brain. Sakura kept watching the dancing going on, and for a minute she entertained the thought of joining in, despite her early reservations.

The mood was nearly too tantalizing to resist… With the last dregs of her common sense, Sakura blinked away the shroud over her mind and remembered her surroundings and why she was so eager to get out. That fighter killed some guy! And…and she lost her friends. She had to find Ino and the others. Besides Ino being her ride, she couldn't leave them here…

The couple sitting in the booth she was still clinging to turned around, took her in, and then the male placed his arm around the back of it, over her hand, and grinned. He was handsome, with long yellow-red hair pulled back in a long ponytail and clear green eyes shades lighter than even her own. When he cocked his head to the side, she could see an expansive tattoo starting just under his jaw and disappearing beneath the collar of his t-shirt, but she couldn't tell what it was in the dim light.

"Gotta little something on your face there, baby." And he stuck his thumb in his mouth and pulled it out to wipe over her face. It came away bloody, just as she suspected, and Sakura could only stare in alarm, shock not having fully worn off.

In a normal situation where she had her confidence and was in control, she would berate him for touching her, but this was far from her element. Her bewilderment shifted quickly to disgust when he stuck the finger coated in blood in his mouth and sucked loudly.

"Mm-mm," he sighed. "Tasty," Sakura noticed the impressive set of fangs in his mouth for the first time, and the dull but present red glow in his eyes as he looked her up and down. When he leaned completely over the back of the booth, she caught a whiff of…roses?

' _Rose water and grave dirt._ ' Sakura thought. Naruto claimed that's what…

"Let me taste!" The girl in the booth squealed, rocking from side to side. Her face was round and she had wide, expressive hazel eyes. Her brown hair was pulled up in high pigtails, making her look incredibly innocent. But if she was hanging around with this guy, the odds of that were slim. Not to mention that it was never a good idea to base age off appearances when it came to the supernatural. They hardly ever looked as old as they actually were, and growth rate varied by race or species.

A strong hand grabbed her chin, and she hissed, finally finding some of her fight. But the vampire ignored her, tugging her closer and swiping more blood from her cheek. He kept a hold of her face while Sakura reached for his wrist, intent on breaking it. From the corner of her eye she could see the brunette in the booth with him lean forward, breasts spilling from her top, to suck his finger clean. "Not bad," she admitted. "But that's not your blood, is it dollface?"

Sakura squeezed at his wrist and twisted, causing a sickening pop. He yelped, and she hopped away from the booth and started to run, but the wall of bodies everywhere slowed her down. ' _Damnit, I need to get somewhere where I can call Ino.'_

They had to be looking for her too by now. She hadn't worn her Evoker—a stupid move in hindsight—afraid someone would recognize it as the Summoner tool it was, knowing it was dangerous to be discovered in a place like this. But it didn't stop her from feeling two distinct pulls, one angry and frantic and the other just desperate, determined. Naruto. Sai. She needed to reunite with them before they tore the place apart and got them all exposed.

Sakura tried heading for the bar, figuring she could order something and blend in long enough to call Ino, but a hand caught her shoulder in a painful clamp, stopping her mid-step. Glaring, she whirled around, throwing her weight into her fist, and it hit a chiseled cheekbone, but the grip on her didn't let go. In fact, she felt lengthening fingernails cutting into her skin, drawing blood.

"You're a little too much of a firecracker," The same male voice from before hissed in her ear. "Sleep some." Sakura growled, trying to wriggle away when a hand came down on her face and she felt energy pulse through her head.

"No!" she cried, but her voice was already garbled.

' _It's…hypnosis…'_ She'd let Ino practice her hypnosis on her before when they were children, she had trusted her friend not to harm her, and to wake her up. She didn't trust these creepy vampires. Looks like she owed Naruto an apology. No wonder he didn't want to be associated with them.

Lean, strong arms circled her shoulders, and she felt her own arms being arranged to clasp onto a muscled bicep. A smaller, more diminutive form wiggled up close to Sakura's other side, hugging her around the waist.

Her body felt so limp, but when they started to walk, Sakura felt herself walking dutifully between them. No one seemed to think anything of it. Sakura, fully aware of everything happening but helpless to stop it, cursed them all. They probably thought it was just a hook-up. Or hell, maybe they saw it for the kidnapping it was and none of them cared.

A soft giggle filled her ear as the female leaned up and nipped it, then, her nose brushed the pinkette's neck and something sharp scraped across her delicate skin, drawing out a bead of blood. A wet tongue lapped it up hungrily, and Sakura raged inside. _'Keep your filthy spit off me!'_ Her rage must have traveled through the bond, because she felt the echoing agitation of both her Summons respond.

"We're gonna fang you so good, babe." The girl purred, nuzzling into her side. "You ever been with vamps before?"

Sakura shook her head wildly; even her voice was under their control. "Urrgh…" It wasn't the " _Go screw yourself!"_ she'd been trying to scream, but it was something.

"Great," the girl said brightly. "So we'll be your firsts. Don't worry," she stroked Sakura's cheek a little and her heart started to sputter in panic. The male vamp was smoothly guiding them around the dance floor, past the bar…and down a tiny little hall near a pool table and the bathrooms. "It'll sting a little at first, but then there's nothing better." The smaller vampire blew in her ear. "I'm Kaede, by the way."

Her partner continued to guide them, and then they were stepping out into a dank brick alley, the door swinging shut behind them to block out any and all noise from the club. "I'm Jurou," the male finally introduced. "We'll take good care of you." Sakura tried futilely to dig her feet into the slick brick, but Jurou just picked her up so only the tips of her toes touched the ground.

Sakura knew if she wasn't under their stupid hypnosis she'd have enough strength to take them both on blind fury alone, but… The breezy night air touched her face and Sakura looked up at the sky, surprised she could see stars beyond the tall buildings and city smog. A rancid scent assaulted her nose, and she saw they had brought her to a spot behind a dumpster, where a man in rags was curled up on a browned mattress, eating some scraps he'd found. His head snapped up when Jurou's shadow fell over him, and at first he seemed preoccupied with protecting his meager food, as he clutched it close to his chest.

"I found it, it's all mine!" he snapped.

"Get lost," Jurou's eyes flashed red and he bared his fangs. "Or _you'll_ be scraps soon." The man trembled, falling sideways and then quickly scrambling to his feet. He shot the vampire one more fearful glance and then took off out of the alley.

Kaede giggled, turning to them and stepping toward Sakura, who was still caught in Jurou's grip. "Your blood was _really_ good." Sakura wanted to groan. She'd been hoping it would taste horrible, and they'd have no choice but to give up whatever they had planned for her. Not that she couldn't guess at this point. "I can tell it'll be amazing just from one drop."

Jurou held her tight as Kaede eased her jacket from her shoulders and took her purse. Her body was still too lax but she managed to stomp her foot in angry defiance as her last hope of contacting Ino was taken away. Jurou set her back against the mattress, and Sakura thought she might puke on him (which wouldn't be so bad) because there was no telling what was on the filthy thing.

"Alright, baby," Jurou nuzzled at her neck. "Let's take this slow…if it goes well, we might have to do it again." Sakura got control of her foot long enough for it to lash out, catching him in the side and sending him sprawling onto his back.

Her eyes shined with dark glee. _'That's what you get for messing with me, asshole!'_ Jurou groaned, sitting up slowly with a hand over his ribs.

"You okay baby?" Kaede asked in a simpering voice that made Sakura want to turn and hit her nest.

"Yeah," Jurou took a deep breath. "Yeah…I just didn't expect her to be able to fight the hypnosis so well."

"I think this one'll be worth it." Kaede moved forward and kissed Sakura on the ear before she could pull her head away. "You pick first…where do you want to bite?"

Jurou chuckled, his fangs flashing in a sinister smile. Crawling forward, he caged Sakura under him, pressing her hard into the wall behind the mattress. "A neck's nice but it's been a while since I've had something…soft." He poked her in the breast, and Sakura wanted nothing more than to break all his fingers one by one. This was the worst idea of her life, and it wasn't even hers! She couldn't decide if she'd be happy to see Ino and Naruto again, or furious.

Pulling at her top, Jurou's mouth opened so wide it was a wonder his jaw didn't unhinge. The sharp flash of his fangs caught in the dim alley light and then blinding pain as he sang his teeth into her breast.

The hypnosis spell didn't do a thing to hide her incensed scream, and Kaede tried to grab her face and quiet her by stroking her cheeks. It didn't work. Sakura was so enraged she could feel the invisible bindings holding her body in place starting to loosen. Her skin tingled, her magic surging underneath. Jurou brought his face up from her, his whole mouth bloody and his lips jutted out in a pout. "Aw, whatsa matter baby?" He tried to touch her face but Sakura smacked his hand away with enough force to break his wrist. Unfortunately, he only popped it back in place with his other hand. "Hey, you know what?" he asked gently. "You're delicious. And now I know why…" Jurou brought his face uncomfortably close to hers, a drop of blood falling from his lip and plopping onto her collarbone. "It's because you're a Summoner, aren't cha?"

Sakura's eyes widened, momentarily chilled to the core.

"Yeah, I can taste it in your blood. I only had it once before but," His tongue made a wide arc to clean his lips. "I'll never forget it. Now that I know that, we can't just let ya go, babe."

She'd heard enough. She was ready to fight her way out of this or die trying. She ripped away from the vamps, falling off the mattress and catching herself with numb arms before her face smacked the ground. Once she dealt with these two, she'd find her friends and get the hell away from Club Shadow Heart. Finding this so-called teacher of Summoners didn't mean anything to her anymore. She wanted **out** of this traumatic situation.

Sakura wasn't sure if the doors in the alley would open from the outside, but she could always pound them open if she needed to. She had just gotten one foot under her when the same door she'd been planning to bolt for swung open. Her heart raced anew. No one in the club looked like they wanted to come to her aid…she doubted that was the case now. What if they were more vampires, reinforcements? But the man who stepped out was no vampire. Although he was startlingly familiar.

The recent cage match champion, Hikage, stepped out into the shadows, his blond hair tussled but with a red tint she hadn't noticed before clearly showing in the moonlight. He was silent as he stepped toward them, hands down at his sides and not a hint of how he was feeling on his face.

Jurou looked at him and snickered. "Hey man, sorry if this is your girl but you shoulda kept a better eye on her. We're in the middle of something now."

Hikage glared down at the vampire, lifting his head back and sniffing the light wind. "Blood," he rasped.

Sakura looked down at her breast, at the ugly bite mark near the top of it, and then at Jurou's face, which had a smudge of red in the corner of his mouth. "Good for you," the vamp continued to snark. "You know what blood smells like."

"It's kind of what we vampires do, you know?" Kaede joined in. "We have fun, we drink a little blood. We're not bothering anybody."

Sakura laughed bitterly. On the contrary…

Her eyes slid up to meet Hikage's, hoping that even if she'd seen him murder a man in cold blood, maybe he still had some decency in him. To her surprise, his once light brown eyes widened, and she could see teal starting to ring the pupils, as if he'd been wearing contacts all along. " _You_ …!" he whispered. It was almost like he knew her. Then, his wide eyes narrowed to slits and he held out his right hand. "Come here."

Sakura glared back. She didn't like him bossing her around, but she still got to her feet and started to go. Jurou grabbed one wrist, and Kaede grabbed the other. "Find your own meal ticket, man." Jurou spat. "We're still using this one."

"You leeches are starting to try my patience," Hikage muttered. A warm wind whipped up between them all, nothing strong, but this one was different. Sakura blinked, feeling some grittiness get in her eyes.

"What the hell?" Kaede squeaked.

"Is this…sand?"

Sure enough, Sakura let her head fall down, and she could see grains of sand mixed with the breeze swirling at their feet. _'But where's it coming from?'_

It started to gather around the vampire duo's feet, congealing to them until they couldn't move. Sakura took the opportunity to stumble away, nearly tripping until a hand on her arm steadied her. Hikage was watching as the sand started to climb their bodies, both of them now panicking. It wasn't long until they were cocooned up to their necks, and Sakura couldn't imagine them getting free unless the sand willed it.

"Last words?" Hikage asked, voice cold.

Jurou started to blubber, tears in his eyes. "I…I—"

"Too late."

Sakura shielded her eyes as Hikage's hand closed in a fist and sand and blood flew every where, splattering the walls of the alley but strangely not either of them. Unwilling to uncover her eyes, Sakura trembled, haunted by the noises they make as the sand crushed their throats.

The alley had grown still, and the lingering malice that had made her skin prickle died away. Still, she kept her face guarded. Hikage could…could manipulate sand. He was even more dangerous than what she'd seen in the cage fight. She could be next.

"I saved you, and you can't even look at me?" His low voice drawled. Sakura thought it almost sounded sad. Cool fingers wrapped around both her wrists, tugging her arms away until she was looking up into the face of her savior…

Licking her dry lips, Sakura tried to give her mind time to form a coherent sentence. "You…k-killed them…for me."

"You weren't going to do it," he said nonchalantly. "Once vampires get a taste of prey they like, they'll chase it down relentlessly."

"But you still…" She attempted to turn her head around, knowing what she'd see behind her, but Hikage wouldn't let her, cool fingers guiding it back toward him.

"Where are your Summons?" he growled, his eyes flashing. Now instead of hazel eyes rimmed with teal, they were slowly becoming a dark gold.

Sakura watched the transformation warily, mindful of the fact that he hadn't let her wrists go. "They're…I lost them inside."

Hikage made a sound that was more beast than man, a sound of displeasure. "Any Summon who let's their Summoner out of their sight and allows them to get into danger is useless."

"Hey!" Sakura pulled her hands away and he let her. "It's not their fault. It's not anyone's fault except those two dead creeps." She was feeling oddly protective over the boys. She knew that neither of them would have let the vampire couple get as far as they had, if only they'd been there. But instead she was rescued by…Hikage the cage-fighting killer.

"Well, I guess later is better than never," he said.

Sakura was about to question him, but the doors swung open again, and this time Naruto, Sai and Ino spilled out, in that order. Naruto saw her, saw Hikage, and he charged with a roar, already starting a partial transformation, getting closer to becoming an actual kitsune than Sakura had ever seen before.

Hikage didn't bat an eye. One flick of his wrist and Naruto was pinned against the alley wall by a clump of sand while he struggled and snapped.

"Naruto!" Sakura ran for him but Ino intercepted, crushing her in a tight hug, babbling apologies.

Sakura squeezed her back just as fiercely, finally feeling the tears she'd held at bay springing free. Sai bypassed challenging Hikage, going straight for Sakura as well and hovering anxiously. When she looked to him, his face was chillingly blank, but she tapped his cheek once, and that seemed to bring some light back into his eyes.

They were the only thing, though, because Naruto was going nowhere fast. The thin whiskers on his face had grown ragged, and his eyes were red with rage. Two long, luxurious golden-red tails lashed around him. Sakura saw them wrap together, and when they parted a blazing, blue orb was cradled between the ends, ready to launch. _'Foxfire…'_ Sakura recognized the kitsune ability from the text.

"You bastard!" Naruto bellowed, "What'd you do to Sakura-chan?! I'll kill you!"

"Kill me?" Hikage looked up at the struggling kitsune almost lazily. "For saving your Summoner when you couldn't?"

"Bullshit!" the kitsune denied, the flame burning so bright it lightened the whole alley. "I smell her blood, and it's…it's all over—"

"You're dense, fox." Hikage admonished, arms folded across his chest. Sakura peered over at him and his eyes had faded back to a dull hazel. No teal. No gold. Maybe she'd been imagining it in the middle of her hysteria. "That's not the only blood you smell, is it?"

Sai reared his head back with wide eyes. "Vampires," He walked forward, finding the mangled bodies lying in the mouth of the alley. "You killed them?" he asked Hikage. "For our master?"

Their unlikely ally scoffed under his breath. "Maybe you aren't as stupid as the other one." Naruto snarled from his place still stuck to the wall. "But you _are_ as incompetent. The vampires had plans to keep her, maybe even turn her."

The flames generated by Naruto's tails dimmed, until they were no more than a small flicker of candlelight. The news was apparently sobering for all of them. Ino held her tighter with another sob into her neck, but Sai and Naruto were completely subdued. All of Naruto's fox features receded, and the sand began to slip away, causing him to slide down the wall.

"When you have something you can treasure…" Hikage spoke, "You should protect it at all costs. Taking it for granted will undoubtedly cause you to lose it one day." Again, Sakura sensed something bitter and a little sad there. This enigmatic man who could kill without blinking and had saved her life, knew loss. Great loss, by the sounds of it.

Then the sand shifted, bringing Sakura her purse and jacket. While she took the purse, the sand dangled her jacket just out of reach above her head. "What?" Sakura reached for it again, but the grains had a mind of their own, and she started to climb the moving granules to get it, but they kept shifting, keeping her at bay.

"Sakura, are you seriously playing with sand right now?" Ino said, sounding a little awed. "You're such a dork, Forehead."

"He started it," she pointed accusingly at Hikage, who leaned against the wall with his eyes closed. "Stop that and give me back my jacket!" Sakura made one more jump in an attempt to wrangle it away from the sand, but the rush of air across her chest and the fact that she heard the sound of Naruto sucking in air made her stop, look down, and remember the wardrobe malfunction caused by that stupid, perverted vampire.

While her corset wasn't ripped entirely, it was stretched, and there was no hiding Jurou's bite. She'd have to do something about that as soon as she got to a safe place.

"Here," Sakura felt something light touch her shoulders, and she pulled it down to see Hikage's sand had returned her jacket.

"T-Thank you…" she choked out, quickly slipping both arms in and then pulling it snug. "For everything. Um…"

"Don't come back here." He said, glaring venomously at her.

Sakura wanted to fire back in some way, but she was tired, and it had already been the night straight from hell. "Yeah, we won't." She grunted, turning to gaze at a guilty looking Ino. The wind picked up again, and they were all forced to close their eyes for fear of being blinded from the sand it kicked up.

Sakura opened them to Ino complaining about the amount of sand that had gotten down her top and in her hair, but she was too busy looking around for any traces of Hikage. He was gone.

Save for the remnants of sand left under their feet and the two mangled corpses…

"We should leave," Sai announced. "You need that bite taken care of, and sooner or later…" His eyes moved to the bodies, and Sakura nodded, gulping.

She let them usher her away, fussing at her all the while. At some point she must have disassociated, because she closed her eyes in Ino's car and all she saw was Hikage's eyes turning teal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So one of the abilities kitsune have, as mentioned briefly in the chapter where Sakura read about them, is becoming invisible at will. I hope this chapter satisfied everyone that kept on frothing at the mouth over GaaSaku. I told you guys, all in good time. Had to happen gradually for the payoff to be just right…even now, I have a lot more planned for those two in the next couple of chapters. Gaara joins the fold pretty soon and as some new things come to light, plot picks up even more. Sakura's really going to have to be careful moving forward.
> 
> And sorry Sakura got a little nerfed. While I'd love for her to save herself 10 out of 10 times…this time, she got herself into a bad situation she needed help getting out of.
> 
> Speaking of, when I imagine Gaara's sand abilities in this AU, I actually see them more like the Sandman's. As in, the Spider-Man villain. He's a sand manipulator too, but he can do things like changing his actual body from sand to solid at will, change into a condensed form of sand that can slip under door cracks, etc. Whereas Gaara's control over sand comes from the Shukaku being sealed in him while he was still in the womb and is restricted by the fact that he needs to carry a gourd around that contains enough sand in the absence of a desert. That's not the case in this fic. Gaara was born a full blooded tanuki, no Shukaku, and thus the ability to manipulate sand is a part of him and all-natural. So expect him to have more versatility in what he can do with it in this story.
> 
> And, all though Sakura was attacked by them in this chapter, vamps aren't automatically evil in this universe. Those two were just dirtbags.
> 
> P.S. There are two characters that share the name "Fuu/Fu" in canon. "Fu" is the female jinchuriki that housed the Seven Tails. "Fuu" is a subordinate of Danzo from the Yamanaka clan. The man Gaara fought was neither of them. He is, however, a canon character from an important but very pesky clan. I last minutely decided to give them a bigger part of the plot than I'd originally intended. A little tidbit for readers to stew over in the meantime.


	15. A Summoner's Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The brutal murder at the club draws the attention of the Magical Law Enforcement's commissioner. And breakfast at the Yamanaka's leads to a much needed heart to heart for Sakura and the boys.

The area had already been cordoned off and the few stragglers that his men had been able to round up and coerce to talk were giving witness statements. That was the scene Commissioner Fugaku pulled up on, and he had to admit, he was pleased with how well the crime scene had been preserved. Hopefully that boded well for the investigation.

He stepped out of his car and gave a sweeping look at some of the recent academy graduates who were standing at the edges of the yellow tape, muttering to themselves. Some had thermal mugs in their hands and were chugging the contents desperately. They straightened to stand at attention as he moved past, but he barely issued them a second glance. All would go well provided some half-asleep rookie didn't mess up. Not that he'd tolerate it.

His boots made a muffled noise across the grimy sidewalk leading to the side alley where the bodies had been found. In the early light of day, nothing about Club Shadow Heart or its neighboring buildings were particularly impressive, just a rather shady street known for its illicit activities. It was a miracle they'd found people willing to aid in the investigation at all.

Fugaku watched the two identical black bags being lifted up and then lowered into the waiting van of the medical examiner. He lifted the tape with a leather-gloved hand and then ducked under it, immediately finding the gritty crunch of sand beneath his feet.

Forensic specialists were just finishing up, but he stood off to the side and waited silently as he saw the pair of them discussing their findings in hushed tones. Blood splatters of varying sizes were all up and down the alley, in places intermingled with the sand. It was…an unusual site for a crime scene, and he had seen a fair bit of unusual crime scenes in magical law enforcement.

"Oh, good timing Commish," Fugaku took a deep sigh through his nose, confronted with a familiar young man wearing a Konoha: MLE jacket who gave him an easy smile, dark eyes mirthful as always. "We're just finishing up."

The Commissioner wanted to believe the messy state of his dark hair was a one-off—that it would be tamed into submission the next time he saw the younger man—but he knew better.

"Shisui…" he grunted. "Out in the field, address me with more respect."

He'd known the boy since he was toddling around with his son, and for Shisui, that meant he felt comfortable maintaining his normal lax attitude instead of regarding him with the same mixture of fear and deference the majority of the forces gave him.

"But I am," Shisui blinked innocently at him, a façade he didn't buy for a second. Mikoto could be swayed by all of Shisui's 'charms' but Fugaku was swayed by almost nothing. "I'm using your new title and everything. Congratulations, by the way," he winked.

"You'd better not be approaching me for small talk." Fugaku said, sternly.

Shisui held up a hand with a shake of his head. "No time for jokes when it comes to my job, sir," And just like that, the boy's face hardened. "Suspected double murder last night, but officially it's pending investigation." He cleared his throat, "The forensic team puts time of death around 10:42 last night. Cause is…a little iffy, but so far we're going with…" Shisui pulled out a small notepad from his pant pocket and flipped it open, brows puckered as he read, "I…I can't really make heads or tails of all the medical lingo, but basically they were crushed to death."

"To be more precise," The female forensic specialist carefully ducked under the tape to join them, her footsteps silent, "Well, I won't bore you with the jargon, but they were constricted until there wasn't an ounce of blood left in their bodies, as you can see." She waved a manicured hand around at the splatters coating the alley. Her blond hair was pulled back into a sloppy ponytail and her glasses were fogged to the point that it was hard to make out her eyes.

"Our perp had fun using it all to redecorate." Her colleague said as he joined them. He had a bit of a slouch and his hands had a snug home in his jacket pockets. If Fugaku didn't know better he'd doubt how alert he actually was, his narrow brown eyes half-shut.

But, he had the presence of a Nara, and they were _always_ thinking, in contrast to their often laidback demeanors. Odd though, Commissioner Uchiha thought fleetingly, the Nara head and his family were generally content to keep to their pharmaceutical company.

If he recalled, Shikaku had a son Sasuke's age rumored to be one of the brightest minds of the century. But like most Nara, where he chose to apply his vast intellect was strongly dependent on what kept his interest… the whole family were eccentrics in that way. Unusual to see one had ventured into the field of forensics.

"We've talked to a man who says he normally frequents this alley to dumpster-dive." Shisui kept an impressively straight-face as he spoke. "Last night he was chased off by the two victims, who had a female with them he thinks they were looking to feed off."

"And this female is where now?" Fugaku demanded.

"In the wind, I'm guessing," Shisui shrugged, but noticing the displeasure on his face, he tried to appear at least concerned. "He reports that when he was trying to return to the alley, he saw her flee with a small group on foot. As far as he can tell they were teenagers but aside from the first girl he didn't get such a good look at their faces. She had red hair and a lip ring."

The last thing they needed was a possible suspect in the homicide to have disappeared into the night. It was hard enough rounding up reliable witnesses in a district that didn't particularly cooperate with law enforcement most of the time. She was the needle and the entirety of the city was the figurative haystack.

* * *

Considering the horrifying ordeal of the previous night, the sleep Sakura had gotten was strangely peaceful and deep. Groggy, she blinked her eyes open, feeling the warmth of a body next to hers and the fact that her right hand was clasped in someone else's.

The pale yellow hair that mingled with her own on the pillows cushioning their heads was a dead giveaway. Ino slept beside her, beautiful as ever despite the small bags beneath her eyes.

Gently pulling her fingers free, Sakura sat up in bed and took a survey of her surroundings to find she was in her best friend's bedroom, just as she had suspected she was. Fresh cut flowers and small potted plants sat on her windowsill and under the light of her desk lamp.

The sheets and comforter she slept under were a vibrant purple and besides the posters of beautiful men from music groups on the walls, there was a corkboard featuring countless pictures of Ino with her parents, her, and even her other childhood friends Chouji and Shikamaru.

Letting a hand come up to cradle the side of her head, Sakura tried to conjure memories of the night before. The events immediately following her run in with the vampires and her unlikely savior were faded in her mind, and she couldn't decide if it was from shock or magical means. ' _But it happened…it all definitely happened._ '

"Of course it happened," Ino sighed, slowly stretching her body out.

"Ino!" Sakura jumped, watching her friend cover a big yawn.

"That mind of yours is still overthinking everything, so I guess that means you're probably okay after all."

"You've been reading my mind?" she blushed, drawing the sheets up to her chest.

"I only caught the last thought," Ino said gently. "But you've been thinking so loud since you woke up it's been a constant, annoying buzz in _my_ head too."

"Sorry…" Sakura mumbled.

It was sometimes easy to forget Ino wasn't all fae. Her beauty, her love and knack for raising plants, and the powers tethered to them all came from her mother. But inheritance had been kind (or maybe cruel), blessing her with an array of abilities from her father, too.

Abilities that, for some time, Sakura had watched Ino struggle to know how to use. They didn't discuss it much, if at all, but Ino's aversion to the other side of her power-set was similar to why Sakura had dreaded learning Summoning magic.

Her father was a powerful Mentalist and he was always being taken away from his family, off on government assignments he couldn't even talk about, coming back after long weeks, tired to the bone.

"Listen, that's my line, alright?" Now Ino sat up so her hair was curtained around her like a shield. When they met eyes again, there was nothing but sincere remorse in those normally confident sky blue orbs. "About last night, I'm sorry." She bit down on her lip, her bangs covering half her face as she spoke, "I should have taken it all way more seriously."

Sakura scooted closer and touched her bare arm. "Ino, we were all stupid for going there. I mean it was obvious that district is bad news."

"But I was only thinking about an adventure, maybe feeling grown-up for a change." When Ino's voice began to crack, Sakura wrapped both arms around her in a steadying hold. "I…so many bad things could have happened to us, to you, and…" Her shoulders trembled, and Sakura held tighter.

"You know," she said, quietly, "I don't remember any nightmares. Did you…"

Ino looked up at her, and the unshed tears welling in her eyes only made them that much more captivating. "It's the least I could do." Sakura remained silent, barely able to nod dumbly.

In a pinch, or when she felt up to practicing, Ino would use her hypnosis, her soul swapping abilities, and her telepathy, but she hated eating nightmares, and had for as long as Sakura had known her. She described it as feeling the remnants of a bad stomachache, the imprint of whatever terrors had plagued the original victim of the dreams lingering in Ino's mind too.

Sakura knew how intense her nightmares could be. She relived the mall more often than she'd like to admit, keeping a towel near her bed to deal with the cold sweats that would hit in the aftermath. But, for her, Ino had done it.

"Thank you," her lips skimmed her friend's cheek briefly, and Ino managed a tired smile.

"The next time I try dragging us into a mess like that, just tie me to a chair and make me watch last season's fashion news until I learn my lesson."

The girls shared a laugh. "It's gotta be past ten already. I think we slept in," Ino dug around through the blankets, searching for her phone.

"Do you think…do you think your mom suspects anything?" Sakura swallowed, not sure she could face Mrs. Yamanaka's quiet disapproval. She wasn't as audacious as her daughter, but when she was unhappy her tight, stern expressions delivered it quite well.

"As far as she knows, we caught a really late movie, went to one of those open-all-night diners, and then came back and crashed. The boys snuck you up to my room while I distracted her with small talk last night. I think we're good."

"What about my pajamas?" She plucked at the red tank top she was in.

"I helped you change, obviously," Ino waved her off nonchalantly.

Sakura shook her head. "That was way too close, Pig."

"You're telling me?" Ino pointed at herself with a small scoff. "Do you know how lucky we are that my mom didn't question me saying we at some junky diner? _Me_?"

Slipping out of bed, Sakura rolled her eyes. "Now you're just overselling it." She popped her joints with a languid stretch. "Shower and breakfast? Or breakfast then shower?" Ino's excuse at least meant she had a change of clothes for the day, and so did the boys.

Sakura would die before she'd willingly put the outfit from last night, that now reeked of vampire and bar smoke, back on. And it would be too suspicious to appear before Ino's mom in the clothes she'd arrived in the previous evening.

"You can take the shower first if you want to," Ino shrugged, getting out of bed on the other side. "It's the weekend and I'm pretty hungry." She started to strut across the room on bare feet like she was ready for a fashion show instead of breakfast. Sakura quirked a brow, wondering how Ino always moved with so much confidence, when her friend turned around with a tilt of the head. "Oh, and just so you know, those boys of yours were pretty shaken up about last night. You should check on them."

Sakura didn't even see the door shut. She was too busy slowly scrubbing a hand down her face. Naruto and Sai…how could she forget about them? Even without her Evoker on the night before, she could feel their growing agitation through the link the connection afforded them.

So why wouldn't they have been able to feel all her bitterness, despair and fear when she thought she was at the mercy of those vampires? The details of what followed were fuzzy, but she was positive they hadn't sat down for a heart to heart, so that was probably something that needed to happen…as soon as she got some food in her.

The shower could wait. Mrs. Yamanaka would understand her coming to breakfast in pajamas, because she'd slept over and done it before. The remnants of the perfume from the day before still clung to her skin, so she didn't think she was in danger of clearing a room. Twenty minutes at breakfast and then a shower. Nodding firmly to herself, Sakura took a deep breath and exited the coziness of Ino's bedroom.

Passing the guest room where she assumed the boys had spent the night, she paused, not hearing them tearing into each other on the other side. What were the odds they were both still asleep? Chancing it, Sakura wrapped her knuckles twice. "Sai? Naruto?"

Nothing. Not even the smallest hint of stirring. Either they were both sleeping like the dead, _actually_ dead, or elsewhere... Wondering about what she'd experienced last night, she bit her lip and concentrated, drawing the sensation of their magic to the front of her mind. It only took a minute to hone in on Naruto's, then Sai's. They were alive and well—presumably not clawing each other's faces off—for the time being. So she could go to breakfast with a clear conscience.

' _Coward,_ ' a small voice whispered, judging her for putting off what was sure to be a very…awkward and tense talk.

Ignoring… _herself_ …she continued on her trek to join the Yamanaka's, surprised when she heard one of Ino's telltale shrieks. It didn't sound angry, or startled, so that only left really about a dozen other options. Ino didn't really need much incentive to be loud, after all.

She crept down the stairs on careful feet, trying to be sure she wasn't interrupting anything. The beautiful, hand-carved bannister was sturdy underneath her tense grip. When she reached the last landing that offered a view of the kitchen, she was shocked to see Ino jumping into the arms of her father.

In hindsight, that shriek was more on the excited side. "Dad!" When was the last time she'd seen Mr. Yamanaka? Not for months. No doubt his family was thrilled to have him back. Inoichi laughed, returning Ino's hug with a warm smile and then pulling away to look her in the face.

"I missed you so much," he told her. "You and your mother." His wife spun around from her spot checking her saplings resting on the windowsill above the sink, brown hair catching the sunlight. With the contentment smoothing down her barely-there wrinkles, Sakura could truly see her fae beauty shining through.

Sakura descended the rest of the steps, making sure that they could all hear her and she didn't startle them. Their eyes lifted instantly, but none of them looked bothered by her presence. Inoichi gave her a fatherly smile. He'd often chauffeured she and Ino around when they were girls, taking them for ice cream, to the park, skating and showing them both how to care for all the plants in the greenhouse, just as thoroughly enamored with magical botany as his wife.

"Sakura," he greeted, extending an arm. "It's good to see you again too," He looked much the same as she remembered. He had hair just as long and pretty as Ino's tied off in a high ponytail and a five o' clock shadow on his strong jaw. There was a tightness around his blue eyes starting to soften, stress from work beginning to fall away, and he still wore his official government uniform. The one Ino always complained about. Being as tall as he was, he easily dwarfed them all.

He hugged her just like he had Ino, letting go when his Tsubame pressed a steaming mug into his hands. Delicious smelling tea that made Sakura's mouth water a little.

Inoichi drank gratefully, sighing when he pulled it from his lips. "Perfect as always," he praised. "I take it that the plants have been doing well?"

"Ino's made sure of that." Tsubame's lips curled with a reserved but sincere smile. "We've taught her well."

"You should've been here during the Barometz harvest," Ino leaned her hip against the side of the kitchen table and plucked a few grapes from the taurine of fresh fruit on it.

Mrs. Yamanaka placed down some fluffy omelets and a loaf of bread Sakura could tell was home-made and smelled of citrus and cinnamon. Sakura tried not to stare too hard, showing restraint as she decided to help by getting glasses from the cabinet. She'd been there so many times, helped set the table for meals so often that it didn't feel strange to act without asking.

Inoichi grabbed plates as he listened to Ino continue talking. "The wool farmers we sold most of the lambs to said those are the best ones they've gotten from anyone in the region in the last three years!"

"That's all because of how rich our soil is," Inoichi grinned, putting four plates on the table.

"Oh, we're going to need more than that, dear," Tsubame told him. "We've got two more guests."

Lifting a brow, Inoichi went for more plates. "Is that right?"

"Yes," There was an uncharacteristically mischievous twinkle in Tsubame's eyes, and Sakura knew she wasn't the only one to notice.

"Friends from school?" Inoichi asked Ino conversationally.

Ino didn't look particularly invested in the conversation, fleetingly shooting her mother a sour expression before taking more fruit. "No, Dad. No one you know."

"Sakura's a Summoner now," Mrs. Yamanaka explained to her husband.

Inoichi instantly turned his attention on her, taken aback. "R-Really? That's pretty momentous, isn't it?"

Sakura cleared her throat with an uneasy smile. "Well, you know me…"

Inoichi nodded sympathetically, rubbing at his stubble. Because he did know. Working for the government himself gave a very strong impression to how grueling it could be in a coveted position, and that didn't even take rare magic into consideration, just someone who was exceptionally good at their job.

"Sakura, why don't you go and tell the boys breakfast is ready? They're out back near the greenhouse." Tsubame suggested, turning back to her saplings and rolling up her sleeves. To her husband, she said, "Now let me see your implants, darling. Have they been holding up alright?"

Inoichi rolled up his own sleeves with a small chuckle, and Sakura could see the half-dozen seeds beneath the surface of his skin with strong veins carrying nutrients to them and fueling the necessary magic to keep them functioning.

"Just fine," he assured her, "They could last at least another three weeks."

"No need for that," Ino rushed around the table and took a rectangular drawer sectioned off and containing at least ten varieties of seeds. All kinds of sizes and shapes. "Mom and I have been engineering hybrids way stronger than the last batch. And you don't have to have as many grafted this time because the beauty in these is that some of them have inherited the powers of both parent plants."

The pink-haired fae backed slowly from the kitchen table, leaving the family to talk animatedly about their prized bioengineered seeds. Although Ino and her parents raised a hearty selection, it was their brilliance in cultivating magical, implant-grade seeds that made them their true bread and butter.

That was why Ino had been allowed to experiment alongside her parents since childhood, something normally only allowed if someone was of age and licensed with the Seed and Plant-Based Enhancement Federation.

Sakura left them in the kitchen as they talked about grafting one of Ino's newest creations into her father's arm and one of Tsubame's in his other.

At the moment, her biggest concern was talking with her Summons. But every step that brought her closer to the greenhouse felt like her feet were sinking fast. The little lamb by itself in the pen lifted its head when she walked by and greeted her with several cute bleats, stumbling over in search of pats or treats.

Laughing, Sakura crouched in the grass and offered her palm through the slats so it could see she didn't have any hidden food. Undeterred, it nuzzled and licked her palm, its damp little nose tickling.

For just that second, Sakura felt a prick of envy toward the tiny animal. As long as it was in the Yamanaka's care, it would never need anything. Pampered as much as a lamb could be. And it definitely would never face the complications she was. "If Ino hasn't named you yet, then I'm going to call you Yoshi." The lamb stared at her with soft eyes and tried to get her face closer through the pen.

"Better name than what we came up with," Sakura stood quickly, brushing off the front of her shorts to see Naruto and Sai just watching her. Both were dressed comfortably in clothes far less conspicuous than what they had on the previous night. While Naruto's expression was a little more guarded than usual, Sai's was unreadable.

"It was your idea to call it Soba." Sai told the fox.

"Lambs say baah!" Naruto huffed. "Soba!"

Sakura wasn't really sure what kind of conversations they'd been having in her absence, but it almost sounded like they'd been…sort of getting along?

Seeing that neither really was giving her much more attention than that she walked toward them on careful steps. "Breakfast is on the table," she announced.

"Alright," That brought a little more excitement to Naruto's face. "I'm starved. I just hope it's not rabbit food." He cringed. Sakura was already walking back toward the house, but she could hear two sets of footsteps falling in behind her.

"Why would we be served food meant for a prey animal?" Sai asked, baffled. "Ino's aware we aren't—"

Sakura sighed heavily. So they were going to make it more awkward for her by pretending none of last night ever happened. Ino said they were worried, but maybe they were already over it.

As they stepped onto the back patio Sakura could see the Yamanaka's still engaged in a lively discussion through the kitchen window. Ino was clearly happy to be sharing in her passion with her parents, the people who had instilled it in her to begin with.

Sakura led them inside, and three sets of eyes looked up. Inoichi took his time scrutinizing the two newcomers. With a subtle sniff of the air, he relaxed, no doubt recognizing fellow supernaturals for what they were. "I hope your walk worked up an appetite," Tsubame said pleasantly. "Wash your hands and then come sit down with us,"

Sakura didn't know if she was included in that collective so she went to the sink anyway. There were no tsukomogami in the Yamanaka household to keep everyone in line, but with Yamanaka Tsubame around, the household yokai weren't really needed.

The soap was aromatic and calming, and Sakura was able to wash her hands without paying too much attention to the discreet glances she was getting from her Summons. She took a seat at the table between Ino and, eventually Sai, waiting patiently as the food circulated.

Heating charms kept the dishes the perfect temperature, and Mrs. Yamanaka's expertise baking skills made the bread soft and yielding when Sakura cut a piece off for herself. She shot Naruto a chastising look when he tried to rip a piece off the end, and he grudgingly picked up his knife and sawed a piece off to drop onto his plate.

Sai, perhaps mimicking her, cut his piece just as neatly, and then dolloped some of the tasty plum jelly onto the delicious-smelling bread. Although Sakura knew meat wasn't very big with the Yamanaka, Tsubame was a generous host and presented the boys with juicy sausage links a little on the pink side. Naruto happily speared one and tore into it without hesitation, juices dripping past his lips.

Sai was a lot less careful too, taking a large bite of the hot meat and chewing with gusto. Sakura put a hand to her face in embarrassment and sipped hard at her breakfast smoothie. A good harvest for the season so far always meant lots of fresh ingredients and fruit-based dishes to go around at Ino's house. Ino eyed the boys with a crinkled brow of disdain, nibbling at her melon slice.

"Hearty eaters, that's for sure," Inoichi remarked, sipping down his second cup of tea.

"Oh yes, growing boys," His wife said in a motherly tone. "Napkin?" She offered Naruto, and Sakura blushed as he sheepishly sopped at the juice and sausage bits on his face.

"I'm no expert on Summoning," Inoichi went on, "But I can certainly find someone more qualified than me to help, if you ever need any assistance." Sakura got the distinct impression he was worried she couldn't handle her two boys. Admittedly, they were a handful, and she got herself into enough messes without their help, but Inoichi didn't need to know that. At all.

"Thank you," Sakura let the ripe fruit burst over her tongue, resisting an impressed groan. "This is so good, Ino."

"Naturally," Her friend said proudly.

"The bread's alright too, isn't it? Not too much cinnamon? Not too grainy?" Tsubame fretted.

"I gotta say," Naruto gulped a mouthful of the bread down after shoveling a bite of omelet past his lips. "This bread's awesome. I could load up on this stuff."

Sakura gave him a reproachful kick under the table that made him remember his manners.

Tsubame tossed her hair over her shoulder and tittered. "I'm glad it won't go to waste. And what about you, Sai? How's your omelet?"

Sakura's eyes dragged to Sai, who had indeed switched to eating the eggs on his plate, dark eyes lighting up. He nodded intensely, mouth too busy chewing to speak.

"He likes it," Sakura spoke for him.

"Naruto, don't you think you should put at least some fruit on your plate?" Ino advised. "I mean it's just protein and starch."

Naruto groaned as everyone's attention was brought to his plate and its distinct lack of fresh fruit. "Fine," he grumbled. Sakura watched him stare hard at all the plump berries and shiny grapes and sweet-smelling melon laid out oh so temptingly…and then choose… _just one_ grape and sit it down on his plate beside a cushion of half-eaten eggs.

Sakura's mouth twitched as the kitsune poked at the grape, nodded in satisfaction, and then went back to ploughing through the rest of his plate. _'Note to self. Put fruits and vegetables into Naruto's diet immediately.'_

"Wow…" Ino rolled her eyes, eating a piece of omelet. "How long are you home for this time, Dad?" she turned her attention back to her father with hopefulness tinging her voice.

Inoichi's answering smile was gentle. "I'd say at least the next few months. My big assignment is finally over. I'm looking forward to helping around the shop again."

"We'll be glad to have you, dear." Tsubame remarked. "You're home just in time for the busy season. We'll have a lot of large orders going out very soon."

"Not to mention Ino's debut. I wouldn't miss that for the world," Inoichi winked in his daughter's direction and she glowed in joy.

Sakura knew exactly what debut he was referring to, because this year was hers too, and she was far less ready than Ino.

Sakura was hoping no one would bring up her involvement in it in front of Sai and Naruto, but she apparently just wasn't that lucky. Because she'd given all her luck to the lamb outside.

"Sakura, have your parents discussed details with you yet? I'm sure they're over the moon with excitement."

"Details about what?" Sai asked.

"Nothing, yet…" Sakura decided to ignore him.

"Oh my," Tsubame tutted, stirring her tea with an ornate spoon. Sakura knew it was probably part of a fae tea set. Beautiful and priceless. "Well, I'm sure she'll want to take you to have your gown made any day now. It's right around the corner."

"What is?" Naruto asked impatiently, done with his eggs and his sausage and sopping the last of his bread in more jelly.

"The Fairy Circle Ball." Ino informed him, "Only the biggest deal in any fae's life." She finished with a wistful sigh.

Sai and Naruto found Sakura's face and pinned her with an expectant look that told her they weren't going to give up until they had all the information they wanted.

"It's just…it's just a formal party where young fae make their debuts into Fae Society once a year," Sakura shrugged, playing it off as if it wasn't the biggest social event of the season for anyone with Fae blood. "There's a lot of dancing and dining involved. And a few old traditions that cement you as an adult Fae."

"Don't forget about the Matchings!" Ino reminded her eagerly.

"No, I want to forget about those the most." Sakura shook her head. She had enough boys in her life, making things complicated, giving her headaches. She did **not** need more.

"Matchings?" Naruto's teeth grit around the word.

"That's right," Inoichi took over, since his daughter was too busy daydreaming. "It's not uncommon for marriages between prominent families to be announced during the Ball."

"Prominent families?" Sai repeated. "Those with importance and long histories in Fae Society?"

Sakura blinked, surprised he'd caught on so fast. "Yeah…"

"Like the Haruno clan, for example," Ino chimed in, smiling sweetly. Sakura gave Ino's thigh a vicious pinch. She knew damn well she was just stirring the pot.

"What?" Naruto's voice rose an octave as he hiccupped the word. "Sakura-chan's family is important?"

"Sort of," Sakura laughed nervously, more than uncomfortable with the turn the conversation had taken. "It's just...the Haruno are my mom's clan. They're one of the original eight families from Avalon still around and mostly intact," she took a careful sip of smoothie, enjoying the strawberry and mango. "Did you grow these?" Sakura directed the question at Tsubame as she pointed at her cup. "It's really refreshing."

"Just the strawberries. We traded for the mangoes," Mrs. Yamanaka explained.

Ino's eyes narrowed, realizing she was just trying to divert the conversation onto a topic that didn't threaten to give her hives. Sakura didn't want to talk about or so much as think about the immense pressure a fae from the Haruno line would face at a Fairy Circle Ball.

As a child, her chance to shine there couldn't come quickly enough. She wanted the approval of her parents and other Fae families. She wanted to do her family proud. Now older and slightly disillusioned, she was just tired of the pressure from all sides to be this or that.

"If Mebuki and Kizashi don't mind, you and Ino could have your dresses made together." Tsubame offered, "That might take some of the edge off, hm?"

Sakura nodded numbly.

"Tsubame, do you think you could help me get the new implants grafted on?" Inoichi cleared his throat and wiped his mouth, setting the soiled napkin on his plate.

"Oh of course," Tsubame was quick to agree, maybe mercifully giving Sakura a break from the conversation. "Girls, would you mind cleaning up since everyone looks to be done?"

"Sure, Mom," Ino eyed Sakura with a silent promise that the conversation would be getting revisited later. Damn Ino was a dog with a bone when it came to "romantic" things like dancing with boys at balls and wearing beautiful gowns. As soon as Ino's parents were gone, the blonde turned to her friend with a coy grin. "I'm putting myself on the first shower rotation." She announced.

Sakura glared. "Are you seriously making us, the guests, clean up by ourselves?"

Ino shrugged uncaringly. "There's some things that you three will never say as long as I'm around." she said, "Get whatever it is out and clear the air already. Because watching you this morning has been like a daytime drama but without all the good parts."

Sakura gaped as Ino strutted back up the stairs, turning to find Sai and Naruto wearing twin looks of confusion.

"What was that all about?"

"Ino's putting us in group therapy, basically," Sakura shook her head as she took up all the dirty plates.

"Therapy?" Sai grabbed the dirty cups, studying his own bemused reflection in one of the surfaces.

"That'd be extra hard for you, Sai," Naruto smirked. "You'd put a therapist in therapy."

Sai rinsed out the cups and then put then in the sink. "I can't really disagree when I'm not sure what it is."

"Just forget it," Sakura took the stack of plates to the trash and started scraping the few scraps left on them. "What she really wanted was for us to discuss last night…" She gulped, wondering if they could hear her frantic heartbeat.

"Last night," Naruto's eyes were troubled, the blue darkening several shades. "We both failed you."

Sakura's eyes widened. "I don't think you're the ones that got me to wander off."

Sai was far from placated by that. For only a second, his brows pinched in frustration, smoothing back into an impassive face just as quickly. "I've told you before that a Summon is their Summoner's sword and shield. In the event that you ever have a lapse in judgement that puts you in harm's way, we should be able to protect you."

"I don't really hold you accountable for my safety when we all made a stupid decision to go there in the first place." Sakura insisted, starting to wash the first plate off.

The tanned hand gripping her wrist made her pause, and before she knew it she'd been completely spun until she was looking up into Naruto's face. "You could have died!" he hissed. "I haven't even been your Summon two days and I really fucked up. I told you I'd protect you, like I could be your hero. But when you really needed us there, some random asshole came to your rescue instead." Naruto's eyes clenched shut, and Sakura was sure he was reliving the moment of being almost too late. "And the worst part is he wasn't even wrong!" He dropped her wrist, but Sakura slowly placed a hand on his arm.

"It highlighted my inadequacy too," Sai agreed quietly. "You shouldn't be so lenient when it was your life we risked." The were-jaguar backed away, head lowered in supplication.

Naruto seized the hand on his arm and brought it up to his throat, so that it brushed at his choker.

"What are you doing?" she choked.

The warm blue eyes she was so accustomed to were buried under a solid sheet of ice when he looked at her. "If you push enough negative energy into our Limiters, then—"

Sakura could feel her whole face pulling down into a severe frown. She snatched her hand away, curling it into a fist and bringing it down to her side. "Don't ask me to punish you for that." She replied, "Because I won't. Don't ask me to forget that I'm the one that agreed to go poking around looking for answers, either. If we're a team, then we fail as a team. We're three in one, right?"

Naruto canted his head as Sai brought his back up to peer at her coolly. "Are you giving us another chance?" the shifter asked cautiously.

Sakura nodded emphatically. "Only if…" she bit at her lip. "If you'll give me one too. I mean I'm new at this too…I'm gonna make mistakes, so I hope you'll be patient with me. But I promise…I promise I'll become a Summoner strong enough to keep you both by my side!"

Ino, Tsunade, Shizune, her Summons…everyone had been so gentle and patient with her. They had all been picking her up when she fell down, consoling her when she felt sorry for herself, assuring her that there was a solution to her predicament when she was feeling hopeless. But all along, Sakura had been reluctant to commit as much as they were.

Beyond searching for a way out, she hadn't given much thought to the people surrounding and supporting her. Now it was clearer that a way out would be incredibly complicated to find, if that was something she could find at all. Her powers were still young and growing. Sooner or later, she'd end up back to where she started from, in need of Summons. In the meantime, she had two who…while they weren't exactly perfect, they were at least earnest in their dedication.

It was her turn.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto breathed, reaching his hands out and then dropping them with a little laugh. "I really wanna hug you rig—"

She stood on her tiptoes and carefully pulled Naruto to her, one arm around his shoulders as the other found its way into his hair. "I mean what I said—I won't ever make you regret helping me," she whispered in his ear.

Backing away, she noticed Naruto looked stunned speechless, and she giggled as she moved onto Sai. She didn't expect him to react any better to a hug, emotionally stunted as he was. Still, she pulled him into one. "It hasn't been easy since we met but it's been…memorable."

His cheeks were strangely pink when she pulled away. "I've never considered myself someone worth remembering, but you…do?"

Sakura's eyes softened, "I—"

"Okay Forehead!" Ino's voice rang out down the stairs as she popped her head around the corner. "Shower's ope—"

Ino's pouty lips pulled into the most obnoxious smile when she took in Sakura and the boys. "I'm no empath but I can tell the air's been cleared. Which means my work here is done." She hopped down the last two steps to stand proudly in front of them with her hands on her hips. "But why do I feel like I missed the good stuff?" she pouted. "If I go sit quietly like I'm not here, will you repeat it all for me?"

When she took several menacing steps toward Ino, fuming, both Naruto and Sai caught her arms and dragged her back.

* * *

Being in the spotlight definitely defeated the purpose of starting a new life in disguise. While he couldn't exactly bring up his full complaints to his manager, he could certainly go and make it clear why he didn't want any more of those girls being sent to his room against his requests to be left alone.

Gaara shut the door with more force than needed as he walked the cool marble hallways of one of Chikafusa's finer penthouses. A party for the champion. One that had been going on since last night. When he was up and up, the small, sneaky man loved to entertain, but if he wanted to keep Gaara as a client, he'd have to take it somewhere else. Because all the stimulation was rattling his beast, and after another encounter with the mysterious Summoner girl, that was the last thing he needed.

He had no idea what she'd been doing in such a dangerous place, in disguise, but her scent hadn't left his nose yet, and it was almost ten hours later. Watching her leave with her friends and not following after was by far the hardest thing he'd done since coming to Konoha. Whoever she was, she had a deep hold on… _some_ part of him. The irrational part.

The penthouse party was still going strong, even in his absence. Music bumped out from impressive surround sound speakers and Chikafusa's people were draped in every corner. Dancing and kissing on the furniture. Grinding half naked on the expensive, gaudy carpets, serving themselves cocktails at the bar, gorging on food in the kitchen, passing around a stick of something that was packed with chemicals wreaking havoc on his senses.

Through the thick glass walls, Gaara could see the party had spilled out onto the lavish balcony, partygoers dancing as they faced the city skyline. It was so nauseating. The tanuki _felt_ his pupils shivering as they contracted in agitation and he snatched the sunglasses off a man in a hideous white track suit that was passed out with a drink in hand on a couch. Shoving the shades down over his eyes, Gaara tilted his head back and tried to find Chikafusa's smell.

He caught the trail, until a girl barely older than him wearing a man's hoodie that fell to her knees and carrying a cheese platter bumped into him.

"Sorry," she giggled, swaying to the beat of the music. "Oh, hey, aren't you…"

"Going." Gaara brushed by her, hoping to see the small man or at least one of his bodyguards in the sea of bodies. He had no trouble picking out that Summoner girl last night, even when her scent should have been much harder to track down under the building of aromas in the club. But Chikafusa was alluding him.

He ducked just in time as an older woman dove for another and they collapsed to the ground in a heated kiss. His skin prickled. Pheromones hung strong in the air, and when he noticed a group of people in various states of undress flocked around a man grinning at the debauchery happening around him, he understood why. A damn incubus.

Gaara moved faster, finally seeing one of Chikafusa's newest bodyguards and making his way over. Sure enough their boss wasn't far, schmoozing an older man with long white hair, horns jutting from his hair, and red markings starting under his eyes and going down his jaw. He was massive, his black button-down barely containing him, and perfectly at home with the women lounging against him as he talked to the fight organizer.

"Ah, there's the champion!" Chikafusa crooned when one of his bodyguards tapped his shoulder and pointed Gaara out to him. "Please come join us," he beckoned, moving a flustered woman aside to make room. Gaara got closer but refused to sit.

"Hell of a party you've got in your honor," The white-haired man mused. "I'd kill for this when I was your age."

"I find it excessive," Gaara let his eyes cut accusingly to Chikafusa, only to have a cocktail glass timidly lifted his way.

"A toast to Hikage!" His manager cried.

Everyone with a glass in the vicinity lifted it, no matter how empty or full, and cried out a tipsy toast.

Gaara snorted under his breath.

"This is a recent acquaintance of mine, Jiraiya. He's a writer, and a peddler of very interesting information." Chikafusa pointed to the white-haired man still watching him with entirely too much interest in his dark eyes. Gaara hated that. He hated anyone with eyes that looked like they could see past his illusions.

"Pleasure," The prince said emotionlessly. "These people need to go." He demanded. "If you want me able to fight tonight, I need it quiet. It reeks like total debauchery in here."

"Isn't it the best?" Jiraiya joked, followed by a deep laugh that most of the people around them echoed.

Gaara spun on his heel and stalked away. He could easily clear the room with one wave of sand, but he'd rather get air and leave painting the white walls red as a last resort.


	16. Dubious Intentions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura doesn't know it, but she's already made quite a buzz in the RCMM, who are beginning to close in. Meanwhile, trouble interferes with the plan in Suna, and Jiraiya instructs Sakura and the boys a bit about the versatility of Summon and Summoner bonds.

Swallowing a thick wad of saliva, Sakura carefully picked up the handful of crystal dust and tipped it out over the bubbling cauldron. But not before admiring how it glittered in the oak bowl, flecks of yellow, pink, blue and purple standing out from the finely ground mixture. She could feel the weight of multiple pairs of eyes on her, and even though this was a spell she had practiced meticulously, there was the lingering fear she could make a dire mistake.

She wished that she could gauge her mentor's thoughts better, but Tsunade's face was carefully passive, offering no hints about whether or not she was going in the right direction. Shizune's face was at least warmer, a brief, encouraging smile pulling her lips as they locked eyes and she arranged TonTon in her arms. Genma and the boys were outsiders to witchcraft, and so the most they could do was stand there with interest as she made the brew.

Turning her attention back to it as the soft blue flames made the potion bubble, Sakura breathed in deeply, a bundle of nerves, only to get a deep sniff of the concoction. The odor was noticeably earthy, a hint of nutmeg lingering. But as steam began to rise, the smell changed. Suddenly, it took on an indescribable scent, something familiar she couldn't quite place.

Watching as the dust made the concoction shift from bright green to a vibrant pink, she began to chant. The first line caught slightly in her throat and came out less than confident, but then something light and supportive brushed over her senses, and Summoner instincts told her it was Naruto's magic, reaching out to offer comfort. He was so unwaveringly attentive, especially since their talk, that her eyes felt moist. Sakura took as much from his presence as she dared without becoming too lax, able to finish off her recital strong.

Three clockwise stirs with her spoon, and then she added the next ingredient. Finely sliced dream root. If she hadn't flubbed anything, eventually it would all dissolve too. The fae wiped a hand across her brow in determination, reaching for the final addition. Tipping in just two drops of peppermint extract, Sakura once again set to stirring.

She lost count after the first fifty times doing it clockwise. Thankfully her muscles had grown stronger and her arms no longer tired as quickly. When she'd first started assisting in spellwork, her thin arms would get sore in no time, and getting through correctly stirring several cauldrons bigger than her without collapsing was a feat unto itself.

Now, she'd come so much further than simply helping out. At least that's what she wanted to believe. Tapping her spoon against the side of the cauldron, she stepped away and watched the simmering potion lighten into a pale, pale blue. With a flick of her wrist, the simple spell Tsunade had taught her years ago extinguished the flames, and the concoction began to stop bubbling slowly.

As she waited for it to cool down enough to bottle and stopper, she chanced a look behind her shoulder. There weren't usually so many people in the Brew Room at once. Naruto and Sai were faintly sniffing the air, likely trying to discern what it is they were smelling. But even their powerful noses probably wouldn't be able to put an exact match to the scent wafting from the potion. It really was one-of-a-kind odor with this spell.

Genma lounged idly on a stool with his elbows propped carefully on Shizune's work station, end of a toothpick hanging from his lips and brown eyes half-lidded but alert. And she would bet he was still the same old mother hen on the inside, too. Just more subtle in his fussing than Shizune.

Sakura hadn't seen him in a while, and he'd grown a little stubble, but aside from that he still wore his hair to his shoulders under a navy bandana that matched his long-sleeved navy shirt and navy sweats. It was how he always dressed on days when he thought he might need to help Shizune with her work, although at most all he did was measure out ingredients, since his wife was more than competent and he knew little in the area.

With all the new additions, the room felt smaller than ever. On busy days, she, Tsunade and Shizune were always dancing around each other and brushing shoulders, not so much because the space was small—it was moderate—but because they also had to work around each other without disturbing the separate projects. The more business they got, the more frequently Shizune suggested adding onto the house.

"Shishou…" Sakura bowed briefly. Tsunade had never been a true stickler for titles and formalities. Except for when they were in the role of mentor and student. Then, she'd have Sakura address her accordingly.

Tsunade stood with her arms crossed and a serious expression as per usual when she was in teacher mode. She took witchcraft very seriously, and made it clear from the beginning of her lessons all those years ago that goddaughter or not, she would only agree to teach Sakura the ways of the witch if she studied with true diligence. Since then, the young fae had tried to meet Tsunade's expectations. "Sakura, your potion should be cooled by now. Bring it here."

Sakura scrambled for the vial she'd set nearby, taking off the cork and then picking up a dropper. She squeezed her completed potion in until it was filled to the brim, and then hurried it over to her teacher. Tsunade accepted it with a blank face, bringing the liquid to eye level and studying it with a scrutiny that made Sakura squirm as if she were the one being inspected.

Apprehension made her heart beat falter a little, wondering what the older witch was looking for, and what would cause the brew to pass—or fail—inspection. Too many bubbles in it? Not enough? Wrong shade of blue? Sakura gave herself a mental slap. She was being ridiculous. Tsunade lifted the potion to her nose, fanning her hand lightly over the opening and closing her eyes as she breathed it in. After literal lifetimes of studying magic, Tsunade could take a whiff and a glance of something and tell if it was properly mixed from that alone.

Lowering it away from her face, honey brown eyes opened to stare directly into her own. Sakura did her best not to blink.

A satisfied grin appeared on Tsunade's pink lips at last. "Congratulations, Sakura. You've successfully made a flawless level four potion. You're officially a Fourth Level Initiate." She handed the potion back and Sakura had to be careful not to drop if from how hard her hands were shaking.

The excited smile fighting for dominance across her own face was enough to make her cheeks stretch to the point of pain, but Sakura couldn't help it. Even if she wasn't ready to induce it without any aids, learning to astral project was an important witch skill. And knowing how to make the potion whenever she needed it until the day she could move on the astral plane without one, meant she'd progressed that much further from where she'd started.

"Sakura, I'm so proud of you," Shizune moved in for a one-armed hug, and TonTon squealed in agreement from her spot between them.

"That goes double for me." Genma gave her a fond pat on the head, and she was still on such a high from the news she forgot to scold him for mussing it. "You always were a bright one, but you're really something else."

"That's Sakura-chan for you," her kitsune Summon crowed.

Naruto came pouncing at her for a hug and Sakura quickly lifted the vial high above her head as he swept her off her feet, head pillowed against her chest. "Hey, watch it Naruto! You're about to make me waste a perfectly good potion! And where do you think you're putting your head, exactly?"

Irritated, she pushed at his head with a warning growl. Noticing one of her hands ball into a fist, Naruto got the message and set her back on her feet.

Sai's gaze drifted to Naruto before his charcoal eyes met Sakura's. He offered a cautious smile that still looked too forced to be genuine. Still, she saw the effort behind it for what it was, and nodded in thanks.

Sakura carefully walked back to her station to retrieve the stopper. "Don't think this means it's smooth coasting though," Tsunade said to her back. "On the contrary, the spellwork only gets more complicated from here, kiddo."

Sakura grinned wryly to herself. "I've been studying under you for the past four years. I've learned at least _that_ much." And it was true. Every new lesson kept her on her toes, whether it was transfiguration, potion brewing, healing spells or ritual work, Tsunade never let up. But Sakura was grateful nonetheless. She had no idea where she'd be if her godmother hadn't agreed to take her in, to teach her.

Her parents might have already sent her to some snooty boarding school for children of the Fae elite. After all, shortly before moving to Konoha, there had been a lot of talk about Sakura needing the proper education to integrate into Fae Society. Despite the reputation of her previous school, her parents just hadn't been satisfied with the lack of focus on Fae topics in the general curriculum.

Sakura always thought that was what her private tutor was for. Either way, she was fine with having not attended the boarding school. Tsunade had wisdom in a great many things and was a qualified stand in for any uptight highborn Fae that would teach her.

"You're as tough as ever," Genma frowned around his toothpick slightly. "Sakura's exceptional, but breaks are important for growing kids." Shizune patted her husband's arm consolingly.

"Which is why I was about to propose she rest up for the afternoon." Tsunade opened the room's door, and immediately cool air and anxious tsukomogami flowed in, the latter setting to work on tidying up. Training starts six am sharp tomorrow."

Sakura sighed, some of her earlier high instantly killed. "Yes, shishou…" Lessons were rewarding, but waking up at the crack of dawn was still something she'd prefer to avoid when necessary.

"Six in the morning?!" Naruto yipped, eyes wide, "That's…that's torture!"

"That sounds like something someone without any discipline would say." Sai said, smiling.

That was all it took to rile Naruto up, and suddenly the boys were into yet another argument. Mostly one-sided, as per usual, as Sai was speaking bluntly without cruel intent as Sakura found he did often.

Lively days were such a far-cry from what her life had been like until roughly a month ago…

She listened to Tsunade telling both Summons to shut up, followed by a threat of hard chores, and it made her laugh quietly. If she was being honest with herself, things were almost…fun.

* * *

Pleasure Bound Books was located two boulevards down from the main street of the shopping district, and all things considered, business was good and steady. Plenty of foot traffic still came by, even if it wasn't always initially for books.

Sometimes people were on their way to the ice cream parlor next door, whose owner raved about having the most interesting flavors anywhere, and sometimes it was the incredibly popular tattoo parlor that had set up shop across the street, next to a bakery and a flower shop, of all things. One of the oldest romance clichés in modern literature, and it gave him a good albeit private chuckle every day.

Nevertheless, the unassuming brownstone bookstore was charming in its quaintness, and that was enough to get people peering through the front windows. After all, visiting an older local bookstore was like bottling nostalgia, and who didn't appreciate a trip down memory lane now and again?

The old, second-hand shelves gifted to him by a kind elderly woman who had wanted to pass them on but had no children to give them to, lent a feeling like stepping into an old library full of secrets.

The afternoon sun shining into all the cozy reading nooks had lulled more than one customer to sleep in the bean bag chairs placed strategically in groupings. There was no one there today, though, he'd had to hurry them out so he could close up.

Backing out of the shop, he reached into his pocket for the keys, sighing deeply when they didn't immediately materialize into his hand. His left hand drifted into his other pocket. If they weren't there, then he'd left them inside, and going back to get them was a little more effort than he felt like putting in, at present.

What was the worst that could happen if he left the store unlocked? Who would even bother to check if a big _Closed_ sign was plastered to the front door? Decisions, decisions…

"Hey there, Kakashi!" Kakashi's back stiffened as that all too familiar, entirely-too-boisterous voice sounded from just down the block. As expected, when he looked up, a man with hair as shiny and dark as a black beetle styled in a perfect bowl cut and wearing an eye-catchingly tight green spandex suit under a light spring jacket was jogging up to him. He had dark eyes set under thick caterpillar brows and a gleaming smile that was unnervingly bright.

"Oh, Gai," Kakashi answered coolly. Gai continued to jog in place, a healthy sheen of sweat on his tanned face and starting to make pit stains under the armpits of his suit. Every time he lifted his knees up to his chest, Kakashi caught a flash of orange. "Why're you so drenched? Your dojo's not that far away."

"That's true," he agreed, still jogging. "But nothing gets the heart pumping more than some good, old-fashioned hot-blooded hand stands. I did a few sets around the city before coming right over to see if you'd be willing to join me and some of our friends for lunch."

Kakashi stared at the sweaty maniac, trying to hold back the inevitable snark.

' _And for that you couldn't have just called?_ '' almost slipped out, but he restrained himself in time. Making sure his brows dipped regretfully, he cleared his throat.

"It's very thoughtful of you to invite me," The silver-haired man nodded, "But I uh, already made plans. It's the only reason I'm closing shop early today."

"Hmm," Gai thought it over for a second, his smile dropping briefly and then returning with a near-audible ping. Kakashi dazedly rubbed at his eye. "What a shame," he said, enunciating his words in the odd way he always did. "But not to worry, rival of mine, I'm sure they'll understand. Just make sure you're not a stranger. My dojo doors are always open," This time he struck a pose and his teeth _did_ ping as he winked, his thumbs up almost hitting Kakashi on his mask-covered nose.

"Uh, yeah… See ya, Gai." He turned, hands stuffed in his pockets, heading for his car parked in the lot behind the row of shops. With his acute sense of hearing, Kakashi could easily pick out Gai's grunting behind him, and he didn't have to look to know he was probably balanced on his hands again, rushing back down the sidewalk as people openly stared in puzzlement.

Climbing into his midsize hybrid SUV, Kakashi stuck the key in the ignition and idly fiddled with the dials to adjust temperature. The day was really perfect weather-wise. Neither too hot nor too cold, comfortable enough that even the pickiest creatures could be satisfied. And yet, he looked ready for fall in his black turtleneck and thick-soled boots. The mask hardly counted since he wore one throughout the year.

Despite gripping the wheel loosely, Kakashi carefully maneuvered through the high level of pedestrians bustling around the shopping area, turning out onto the main road that would lead him across the city. The ride, interrupted by frequent traffic lights and crosswalks the further into the city he went, gave him time to think.

The call was abrupt and terse, nothing unusual there. Of course if he was getting a call from his _second job_ then there were really only so many things it could be about. Already, he'd latched onto several high possibilities. Someone impatient in a fancy black sports car that barely looked large enough to fit half of him honked from behind him, even though the light had just barely flickered green.

Predictably, shortly after they'd both pulled off from the light, the driver sped around him, shouting about slow old men and then proceeding to zoom away at no less than thirty miles over the speed limit.

Unconcerned, Kakashi kept his pace, listening to the whooping sound of sirens. Two police cars pulled out from a nearby parking lot, going after the rude driver who'd caught him off. A lesser man might have laughed, but Kakashi only smiled pleasantly beneath his mask, continuing on his way. Any regulars to the area knew speed limits were strictly enforced here.

The rest of the trip was a quiet one, his mind still restless as he parked his car and set off for the imposing, white stone building with golden lettering displayed proudly for all to see. The Regulatory Council for Magical Management's Konoha headquarters…

No sooner had he stepped through the door than armed guards with heavy looking plasma shooters turned their attention toward him. One motioned for him to step through the metal detector, and he did so without fuss.

He stepped out on the other side and reclaimed his keys, stuffing them back into his pocket. The front lobby was vast and just as highly maintained as the outside of the building. Priceless marble floors made everyone's expensive loafers and tight heels clack crisply as RCMM employees and visiting civilians moved about.

Kakashi glanced down at his own worn boots, and noticed how easily he could see himself in the shiny tile. Tilting his head back with a sigh his eyes fell on the exquisite chandeliers that lit the front area, gold to match the rest of the tasteful décor.

Businesspeople wearing stern faces and carrying totes and briefcases boarded telepads or zoom-tubes to their destinations. And he had to side-step a catering service as they bustled right across his path with what had to be a four-course meal that smelled heavenly, hustling down a hall to serve a room of important people an expensive brunch.

It was only a few quick strides over to the receptionist's desk, where a busy young woman typed swiftly at her keyboard, stopping only occasionally to do a few clicks with her mouse.

"Excuse me," Kakashi cleared his throat politely, already plastering on his most amicable face. Without looking up, she scowled, a tendril of auburn hair escaping her professional up-do and falling to curl over her nose. Embarrassing.

"Yes?" she asked, none too welcoming. "May I hel—" Finally, she'd looked up, gasping faintly when she stared into his face, her cheeks taking on a warmer hue. She pushed the loose piece of hair from her face and straightened up, smiling sincerely this time.

"Hatake Kakashi," he waved casually, refusing to put on airs. "They'll be expecting me on the fifth floor."

She nodded along slowly, stuck on his every word. And people wondered why he wore the mask. He didn't consider himself a vain person, but if he got this reaction with it _on_ … "Mhm…"

"So do you think you could beam me up?" Kakashi's eye crinkled as he pointed toward the ceiling. "Directly to Rare Magic Management, F10?" Scratching the side of his head, he looked down bashfully. "It's embarrassing, but I misplaced my badge since the last time I was here…" Misplaced. Didn't bother to bring. What was the difference, really? On such short notice, the fact that he'd made it at all, only forty minutes late, was an achievement.

"Of course!" she squeaked, standing. Kakashi gave her another mask-hidden little smile that crinkled his uncovered eye, going to stand where she directed him. The circular area on the floor was the size of an average doormat but underneath the clear surface were idly blinking green lights. Standing overtop it, he gave the starry-eyed receptionist a final wave, and then she must have flipped the switch because the transport mechanism's anti-gravity was engaged.

Kakashi could feel his body becoming so light it was terrifying, his molecules tingling as he evaporated into thin air and reappeared on the same shuddered breath, exactly at his destination. Stepping away from the spot, he patted himself down, wondering how in the hell he'd forgotten how much he hated that second and a half of nothingness that happened with telepads.

Glancing around the lobby in hopes no one had witnessed his moment of weakness, he sighed in relief when he found himself alone. As requested, he'd been dropped right into suite F10—some of the same high-end themes from the first floor's lobby had carried over to this space, too— and it didn't look like the receptionist was on duty. Odd. Normally he was such a stickler over professionalism.

Shrugging silently to himself, Kakashi ambled across the room and to the short hall he knew housed the actual pent-house sized office of the head of department. Before he could even knock, the door was swung open and two familiar, grunting men came staggering out, each trying to see around the stacks of papers they were holding that came up to their necks. Kakashi stepped aside, then took some documents off the top of the pile from the first man to pass him.

"Whew, thanks, I—hey!" he gaped momentarily, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Long time no see," Kakashi said amicably.

"What the hell?! Kakashi! When's the last time you showed your face around here?" he chuckled, and the other man with the straight brown hair still holding all his papers grunted.

"Kotetsu, it's really not the time." he reminded him. Izumo always was the more dutiful worker.

"But it's been ages," Kotetsu sighed. "Anyway, it was good seein' ya, but you better get in there." He jerked his head back to the large door with the silver plaque mounted in the middle. "You're late and he wasn't really in a good mood to start with."

Nevertheless, Kakashi made sure Kotetsu had time to tighten his grip before giving the documents back to him. "Guess it's off to the filing room for us…" he grumbled, frowing. "Why doesn't he just get with the times and go digital? It'd make our lives simpler."

"Pretty undignified of you to be complaining about doing your _job_." Izumo fired back as he walked in front of his friend. "Take some pride in your work for once. And if I'm being honest, you could…"

Kakashi could hear them even as they turned the corner, not that they were really all that loud. His senses were just that good. Turning his focus back on the name emblazoned across the door plaque, he adjusted his turtle neck and knocked once, not bothering to wait for an invitation when he knew he was expected.

The office was cold, as lavishly furnished as the rest of the building, and offered a stunning view of the city through the thick glass wall behind the department head's desk. Priceless works of art decorated his walls and the soft rug in the middle of the space was worth a small fortune, he was sure. The gray leather couch and chairs made his office a little less inviting than a warmer color might have and the hum of a fully stocked mini bar in the corner was barely audible.

"Yo," he held up a pacifying hand against any verbal assault likely to be sent his way. His eyebrow raised at the sight of all the people in the office, who had evidently been discussing something serious in quiet tones. Everyone paused and swung their gazes his way, none of them particularly impressed.

"Kakashi," Standing with his arms folded behind his back and a sneer on his face, Morino Ibiki was as hostile as ever. If Kakashi didn't know any better he'd think the man was sporting some new, intimidating facial scars, but still the most prominent was the one that ran from his hairline to just past his lips. "I see you still don't own a watch. There was almost no point to you coming."

"On the contrary," The man behind the wide mahogany desk swung his high-backed leather chair around slowly and Kakashi couldn't help but think of a villain from some old action movie. "He's still ideal for this assignment. So I'll excuse your tardiness for today."

"High praise, sir," Kakashi cupped the back of his neck, not immune to the powerful aura of Uchiha Madara. The man was a stone-faced enigma, his name as infamous as it was legendary. He couldn't have looked more than thirty— only the slight sag under his eyes a real tell of his age. And even then, instead of working against him, they gave distinction to his handsome visage.

On the surface he was a young, attractive businessman—perhaps a little unconventional with his long, wild mane of hair, but even then that seemed to suit him—but Kakashi was aware of how misleading looks were in their world.

Madara was much older than anyone else in the room, and the titles he'd held were certainly more prestigious. He was, after all, formerly the Commander of National Magical Law Enforcement. Under his leadership magical crime had plummeted nationwide, but he wasn't particularly well-liked among his men or the country for his demeanor nor his tactics.

When he'd suddenly announced he was leaving the position, no one had expected him to take up a job working as the head of RCMM's Rare Magical Management department. The job would have been a prestigious one for nearly anyone else, but for Madara it was a clear step down. Kakashi had never been able to figure out just what he got out of the career shift, when everyone knew he was an ambitious man, always wanting _more_ not less. "And I appreciate the unexpected leniency. But…"

"Kakashi," Ebisu cut in, abandoning his rigid posture just slightly to lean forward in his seat. "You've heard the stirrings, yes?"

Kakashi lowered his hand, resisting the urge to stick them in his pockets but wishing he had something to do with them. A quick assessment of the room didn't give away much. Ebisu was high-strung (not all that unusual), Ibiki was agitated (another norm) and Madara was…unreadable, his black gloved hands clasped together as he peered from over them and waited. "There's been plenty of national upset lately…" he drawled. "So you'll need to be a little more specific."

Madara nodded once, stretching back in his seat. "You'll find all the _specifics_ you need right here." A small rectangular stick was slid across the surface of the desk. Kakashi moved forward and picked it up to study. "I shouldn't have to spell it out, Hatake."

The silver-haired man turned it over in his hand, seeing the very small lens on the side. "May I?" he asked, perfunctorily.

Madara motioned for him to proceed, and Ebisu tensed up again. Now, he couldn't deny that his curiosity was piqued. Pressing his thumb down on the power button, the device turned on, a tiny beam of light shooting out to project a holographic image into the air between them.

The contents were so surprising that they broke through his cool mask of indifference quite easily, and Kakashi paused, blinking doubtfully. The file of a young girl with pink hair and a shy smile stared back at him. Her name, race, birthday, hometown and other specifics showing under the photo. "She can't be any older than twelve." He said when his voice unstuck from his throat. An uneasy feeling had crept up hard and fast.

"The image is dated," Madara told him. "It's the picture on record from her last known school four years ago. But that's unimportant. Keep scrolling."

Kakashi did, his brows lifting the further along he read. "Haruno Sakura…says here she's full-blooded Fae, lives in Konoha and—" he stopped, shaking his head in disbelief.

"It's all very true," Ebisu added quietly. "In fact, not long ago after the messy incident in Danno Mall, I happened to spot her in a café. I knew just by the reports we gleaned from law enforcement that it was her. So I approached and offered her a business card—"

"I bet you put her off right away, didn't you?"

Kakashi's hand clenched around the projection device.

Madara's mouth quirked into a lopsided smirk. "My protégé joins us at last."

"Got held up, _boss_ ," the new voice said sweetly. "There's not much you can do when the contraband trade ring you've been tailing runs a little long. Another typical day at the office."

The bookstore owner could feel the hairs on his neck stand at attention the closer the newcomer approached from behind. "What are the odds I make it back into the city on a day when Kakashi isn't slacking off,"

Unable to put it off anymore, the man turned at the sound of his name, sucking in a small breath. His childhood friend looked as hardened as the last time they'd met, wearing the same dark trench coat and black gloves he favored with the impeccable dress shoes. His short, dark hair was more tussled than usual and he had a small cut on his lip as the only signs he'd been in a skirmish.

This man was hardly recognizable from the spirited boy he once knew, no mirth left in the eye not covered by a patch. As Kakashi thought of something to say, Uchiha Obito moved right past him, arms crossed as he tilted his head. "Am I right, Ebisu? I've always told you that your approach could use some subtly."

Ebisu pushed his glasses up, looking indignant as he shrank back a little. "Our talk very likely would have led somewhere, if those two boys hadn't interrupted."

"You'll notice, Kakashi," Madara said, bringing all attention in the room back to him, "That our unusual little Summoner found a very odd Summon for herself."

Obito peered over at the hologram, where an extremely pale teenage boy with short dark hair and a stoic face had replaced the first projection, and scoffed. "It's one of the missing shifters from that big Compeller bust from early March. Wasn't that supposed to be your mess to clean up, Bakashi?"

"I told you he's not right for this assignment," Ibiki voiced, "He didn't even complete his last one. By now all those experiments should have either been rounded up or put down."

"Harsh," Obito muttered. "But even I have to say letting a clueless teenage girl form a contract with a trained, dangerous living assassination tool is mostly on you." He smirked goadingly. "Nice to see you royally screw up."

Well, it looked like this whole meeting was an elaborate way to get him here during Pile On Kakashi Day.

He _had_ 'put down' a great many already. The ones who were too far lost to bloodlust after so long with only a one-way contract to sustain them. Those who had been mostly in their right minds were taken in, but he didn't know much about their whereabouts after handing them off to his higher-ups.

From the rumors he'd picked up, they weren't much use to the investigation, every last one bound by a curse seal that prevented them from speaking any secrets of the organization or its mastermind, who was still at large.

Most still couldn't remember their real names or lives before their captivity and were hopelessly inept at acting under their own free will. Whatever brainwashing they'd endured was some of the most effective the RCMM's Headspace Extraction Division had ever seen. And it was Ibiki's department. No wonder he was here now…

There were still a handful of escaped Summons (although calling them that was charitable when they had been little more than Compelled slaves) unaccounted for, disappeared without a trace, and this boy had been among them. Until he'd gone and found a new Summoner.

"You're lucky this hasn't blown up in _all_ our faces before now," Madara narrowed the eye not hidden by his curtain of hair, "but according to Ebisu the Summon is already very loyal to his new master. It doesn't change the fact that she has no idea what he really is."

"Are you saying what I think you are…?" Kakashi trailed off.

"There's still very strong interest in recruiting this girl following the Danno Mall Incident," the older Uchiha continued. "Especially since the scouts have reason to believe she has yet another Summon now,"

"Two Summons?" Obito was definitely impressed. And amused. Kakashi could tell. "Almost unheard of in modern times."

"The second boy's just as problematic as the first,"

Kakashi nearly dropped the device when the next picture came up. "Minato-sensei's son?" he whispered. Something was going on here. His eyes narrowed on the picture. The last time he'd seen the family, this boy was a baby in his mother's arms. He'd grown up to look just like her, but with his father's hair and eyes. "How sure are we that this girl's completely unaware of the people she's surrounding herself with?" he asked, some of the pity he'd been feeling for her fading.

"Reports say he's been around her longer than they've held a contract." Madara picked up and studied one of his custom ink pens. "Too strange to be a coincidence, and yet that's exactly what it appears to be. A series of coincidences bringing her into the spotlight and drawing some very interesting individuals to her."

* * *

It took Matsuri everything she had to remain inconspicuous. She'd been working with Temari and Kankuro for over a week, serving tea and sweets during council meetings and biding her time.

Finally, today, a spark of something interesting had happened. But it wasn't what any of them had planned for, and that was the problem. As soon as the meeting had concluded, yet another one where the specifications of the coronation celebration was being argued and what Temari should say in her speech along with it, she hustled over to her father, interrupting a chat between him and Elder Jai.

"What is it, Matsuri?" her father frowned, at first impatient until he saw the look on her face.

"It's my stomach, Papa." she whined, trying not to oversell it as she placed a palm just over her navel. "I…I feel so nauseous." And it was true.

"Has the girl had too much sun and not enough to drink?" Elder Jai asked her father pityingly.

' _I'm standing right here,_ ' Matsuri griped in her head. _'If you really cared about how I was feeling you could ask_ me.'

Her father's hand reached for her forehead but Matsuri stumbled away slightly. "I'll see the palace physician." Of course, that use to be Yashamaru's position, and she'd been studying diligently under him for some time before…the incident. The new one they'd gotten was odd and gave her a creepy feeling she couldn't place. There was no way in hell she'd actually be paying a visit to the infirmary wing.

"I'll tell your tutor you won't be able to make your lessons this evening," Her father kissed the top of her head. "Go," he ordered gently. "I'll be sure to check on you later," Matsuri smiled bravely, gave a humble bow to Elder Jai, and then scurried from the room the minute their backs were turned.

None of the other lingering council members commented or noticed her swift departure. Just for precautions she took the long way to the study where she'd been meeting the royal siblings, and she didn't break out into a sprint until she was two halls down from the council's meeting chambers.

The palace's vast hallways felt endless, but she knew them well. Tears fell unbidden down her tanned cheeks as memories of her childhood in this palace came flooding back.

She could see herself crouched behind a pillar and peeking around it as she hid, only for Gaara to come and gently tap her shoulder from behind. And the training yard was where she'd cheer him on as he and his siblings practiced with the royal guard, despite her hesitance to join them herself.

Matsuri could even see the wide lip of steps that led up to the throne room, where they'd played at being king and queen at her insistence, with Temari acting as the captain of their guard and poor Kankuro, their humble servant. Bossing him around that summer had been so much fun…

A quiet sob slipped out, ' _Gaara-kun…this never should've happened. But don't worry, because we're going to make it right!_ '' If they couldn't then Gaara's life truly would be forfeit.

She skidded to a halt in front of the king's private study, where she knew they were waiting for her. Out of breath, she leaned against the door for support, knocking loudly with a shaky hand. "Kankuro! Temari, please!" she cried out, trying to lower her voice.

The door swung open with a creak and Kankuro peeked out with a frown. "Hey, how'd it go? You really should use the password phrase we've all talked about you kn—"

Matsuri yanked the door open wider and then blew past him. Temari was in one of the stiff chairs holding out a revealing dress she was glaring at, but she lowered it when she noticed the younger girl's distress.

"Kankuro, light the candles," she barked, standing up to guide Matsuri to a vacant chair.

The brown-haired girl sat, gulping in air and trying to get her frantic mind to focus on a single place to begin. "T-They know…" she squeaked out when Kankuro came to stand beside his sister. "They know Gaara-kun's—"

The siblings traded a wary glance. "Slow down, alright?" Kankuro said gently, "Just…just tell us what you can."

"T-The meeting was just a bunch of old men arguing as usual," Matsuri fidgeted with her hands, "Until Elder Eiji brought up that he'd been talking to the coroner and that Gaara's body never got the Mark of Shukaku…and then everyone was speculating about why. That was when the possibility of it being a body double was brought up."

"But that mark can take at least five days to show up…and we told them we wanted the body cremated by sunset the next day!" Kankuro interrupted. "Whose ashes did they give us?"

Temari made a noise of discontent. "Obviously, if they're being so bold, then we're really running out of time. It's a race between us and them now to see who can expose who first."

"And if they find out we helped Gaara escape before we can prove he was framed, it's definitely possible they could make up crap charges and vote to dethrone."

Matsuri noticed how quickly both siblings' faces had grown pensive, and she felt the need to offer at least a small reassurance, "Elder Ebizo mentioned that about the mark…that it could take time and that it might have turned up after the body was buried. That sort of calmed things down. I don't think everyone was convinced though."

"Maybe we're looking at the wrong people?" Temari ventured. "Maybe it's not someone on the council, but someone manipulating the council?"

"Alright," Kankuro rocked back on his heels. "Sounds reasonable. But why go to the trouble of murdering our father and trying to get Gaara executed?"

"Think about it," Matsuri said, "Temari's the oldest but before his symptoms started getting worse, Gaara showed the most aptitude to rule, right?"

They slowly nodded, following along. "Are you saying they think I'd be easier to manipulate?" the oldest sibling asked, offended.

"She's saying whoever we're dealing with is ambitious and patient. And they're probably thriving in the chaos right now. Hell, they might've known Gaara escaped all along…and were just waiting for the right time to expose him. Don't forget, as careful as he tries to be, he's out there without a Summoner. He can't hold out forever. If he…if he causes an incident out there on foreign soil our problems are gonna double."

"It could incite a really ugly turn of events between Suna and another nation!" Matsuri exclaimed.

"Time to broaden our range of suspects beyond the council." Temari announced. "Who else has been off to you? Someone that works in the palace, or comes and goes frequently?"

"I definitely think we should keep eyes on the coroner and the executioner," Kankuro restlessly ran a hand through his hair.

"The new physician gives me the creeps!" Matsuri blurted next. "Something about those eyes." Those gold eyes were just a little too calculating.

Then and there the trio devised a new plan. A plan that would hopefully see there traitor caught faster and Gaara brought home before disaster struck.

* * *

Sakura was positive Jiraiya was feeling confused about why she'd been so overly sweet toward him the entire time he was over. It wasn't exactly subtle. Normally she'd be polite, only deviating from that when he brought up those horrible books he so proudly authored.

But today she offered him fresh-baked cake and made sure his cup was never empty. She laughed at some of his jokes that she didn't really find funny and tried to bite back her indignity when Tsunade insulted his books and he casually defended their content, when any other time she'd immediately agree with her godmother.

Did she have ulterior motives? Of course. Had she grown desperate enough to resort to this level of flattery? The answer there was yes, as well.

When she once again made her way to the kitchen table, ready to pour him another cup of honey tea spiked with sake, he held up a hand, meeting her eyes suspiciously. "Any particular reason you pulled out all the stops today?" he asked. "Don't get me wrong, I always appreciate the hospitality, but don't oversell it, kid. You haven't even yelled at me once about mentioning Icha Icha."

Tsunade lifted a brow as well, silently asking her own question.

Sakura sighed, setting down the teapot. "Fine, I admit that I have something I want to ask you…" Her eyes took on a determined glint. "Jiraiya-sama, you have contacts that could teach me more about my Summoning magic, right?"

The oni narrowed his eyes over her shoulder, where Naruto and Sai were just barely peeking into the room from around the side of the door. He wiped some cake crumbs from the corner of his mouth and cleared his throat, but Sakura kept speaking, "I always considered myself responsible, but I've been running away from this _responsibility_ for years." Sakura gripped her left arm, her eyes staring down at the table surface. "That's not going to help me, help _us_ get stronger though." She explained. "I don't know what my future's supposed to be yet, but I know I don't want to be dragged kicking and screaming. I want to be ready." She concluded with a firm nod.

"You've given this some real thought, haven't you?" Tsunade took a calm sip of tea, nostalgia in her eyes. "You had this same kind of resolve when you wanted me to teach you witchcraft."

"Yes," Sakura mumbled. "Well I," She couldn't ask Sai and Naruto to give their all as her Summons if she wasn't willing to do her part, too. And that meant actively seeking to learn to control the mysterious powers of the magic she'd been shunning her entire life. "We talked about it."

Naruto and Sai joined them, stopping just behind her. "We're ready!" Naruto declared.

Jiraiya tilted his head all the way back, pushing away from the table. "These kids," he said in resignation. "Ready, huh?" He studied each one of them in turn, smirking lightly. "Let's step outside. No need to ruin Tsunade-hime's good mood by breaking her kitchen."

Jiraiya stood to his full height, sauntering out of the room and to the front door with his white hair swinging behind him.

The three teenagers exchanged glances. "Is it really just…that easy?" Naruto whispered.

"Wait, what did he mean we should go outside to avoid breaking the kitchen…" Sakura was more anxious by the second.

"Well, this oughta be good." Tsunade sat down her cup and walked out of the kitchen too.

"I think they want us to follow." Sai stated.

"What was your first clue?" Naruto retorted.

**ARfF**

Jiraiya began stretching his arms and rolling his shoulders while Sakura and the boys stood in the modest backyard and waited for him to explain, Tsunade off to the side with her arms crossed.

"I can't say I know everything there is to know about Summoning magic, but I've picked up some things here and there in my travels." he finally said. "So for today I'll offer you kids a nudge in the right direction."

Sakura swallowed a pleased gasp, nodding eagerly. "Please!"

"First things first," Jiraiya put one hand on his hip, "Summoning bonds have natures attached that effect the kind of power unleashed."

Sakura was already bubbling with plenty of questions, answers so tantalizingly close and yet still at a distance. But she forced herself to keep quiet and listen. Jiraiya raised a fist. "There are Melee," he lifted one finger, "Cloak, Caster and Hybrid." When he finished, four fingers were in the air.

"Uh…I don't…get it…" Naruto said from beside her.

Jiraiya chuckled, "Not surprising at all. Say Sakura…" The pinkette perked up at the sound of her name. "Think fast!" There was no other warning as the oni raced toward them with impressive speed, a spiraling blue orb in one palm. Sakura instinctively brought her arms up in a crossed formation to protect herself, noticing she was the target but too stunned to move. There was a thrum of energy from the stone in her Evoker, and then the ground shaking as dirt flew everywhere and Tsunade cried out angrily.

It took several pulse-pounding seconds before she realized she was still alive and, presumably in one piece. The same couldn't be said for the mess that had become the yard, though.

Jiraiya's open palm was inches from her chest, blue orb whirring quietly. Naruto and Sai were both gripping his arm tightly with fierce expressions. Each had the _glowing_ fist of their other hand aimed up at his face.

"Jiraiya, are you crazy?!" Tsunade shouted over from across the deep cracks in the ground and piles of disturbed earth that separated her from the rest of them. "What the _hell_ were you going to do if your stupidity destroyed the house?!"

"Or Sakura-chan!" Naruto growled.

He grinned cheekily. "I told you that you wouldn't like it if we did this in the kitchen, didn't I?" Glancing down at the hands still clenching his forearm, he grinned a little wider, deactivating his attack. "Anyway, boys, take a look at your hands."

They did so reluctantly, Sakura's eyes widening as she checked too. ' _I feel like I've seen those…somewhere before. In one of the books maybe?'_

"What's this?" Naruto sputtered, blinking at the orange seal that had appeared on the back of his left hand. The wide bow of a "V" formed the base, a marking looking like a cutlass resting over the top of it and a short dagger point down in the opening of the letter, crossing the cutlass.

"You're a Melee-type Summon." Jiraiya drew his arm back, forcing the boys to let go. The oni jerked his head in Sai's direction. "He's a Caster-type." She inched forward, carefully pulling Sai's wrist toward her so she could better see his hand. The seal on it was obsidian, and looked nothing like Naruto's. A thick bolt of lightning glowed over his skin. The crescent shape of a waning moon sat just behind it.

Sai lifted the hand up to his face and stared unblinkingly. "This never happened before…"

"Hey, it's disappearing!" Naruto gawked, just as Sai's started to fade as well, leaving behind no hint of the seal's presence.

"Melee-type? Caster-type?"

Seeing Sakura's baffled expression, Jiraiya went on, "You already know that a Summoner helps a Summon unlock their full potential, and that when their magic syncs up just right, a whole new arsenal becomes available, right?"

"Those are the special abilities only a Summon and Summoner who're truly connected can use," Sakura guessed.

Jiraiya closed his eyes and a cool wind blew through the yard. "On your own, you still have a skillset related to you being a Fae, and they've got their own related to their races, too. But you could say one of the biggest boons to having two strong, compatible magical sources joined together is that all new possibilities come about,"

"Special combination skills." Sai said, thoughtfully.

"Naruto's probably going to be good close-range mostly, with a lot of offensive potential. Sai's moves would be better suited to work at a distance. I've never met a Caster-type but I hear the skills they learn can be pretty nasty to deal with, a lot like certain witch's." He shot the still-flustered Tsunade a hesitant glance.

"But wait," Sakura sucked in a breath, held it until she counted to five, and then let it out with her next question, "The nature of Summoners and Summons makes them sound like they're…meant to be warriors." She laughed nervously, "That's just—"

"Sword and shield," Jiraiya gave Sakura a knowing look, and she paled. "A smart girl like you, and you didn't take that meaning to be literal?"

"Jiraiya!" Tsunade nimbly made her way to them with a few good leaps, navigating the obstruction like someone who wasn't in short heels. As she reached them, she gave him a scathing look that had the oni shrinking away, before her face softened into something milder when she addressed Sakura, "The truth is the true purpose of Summoning and why it's so selectively bestowed by the fates to begin with has been unclear for centuries. They've definitely had their place in history as prized warriors in the past, but," Tsunade laid a pacifying hand on her pink head. "Times have changed."

Sakura nodded, contemplating the pretty sheen of the bloodstone in her apparatus.

She was only vaguely aware of Jiraiya trying to distance himself from Tsunade…and the situation. "I think that's about all the useful things I could share with you. Anything else you could find in a book," he said, clearly feeling his work for the day was done. "Sorry kids, but it's a start, isn't it? Give me time and I'll find you an actual Summoner you can ask these questions."

"No, don't apologize," Sakura said quietly. "We learned a lot today. Thank you, Jiraiya-sama…"

"Yeah, you're being helpful for a change…" Naruto glared dubiously like he couldn't trust his godfather's intentions. "How come you're not this useful all the time, huh?"

Jiraiya appeared affronted. "Because you say things like _that_ ," he scoffed, turning away from them. "Anyway, nice visit, but I really do have some business to take care of in the city. Can't put things off for too long or they just pile right up, you know?"

His feet crunched against the soft earth and he tossed them a single wave without looking back, waiting until he was once more on solid ground and then taking off through the air in a leap much too fast and powerful for any human.

* * *

Annoying as it was when he was forced to accommodate people in his workshop—people that couldn't even appreciate the true magnitude of his art—at least not all of them were in attendance.

Sasori watched Deidara's hand hover over one of his prototype, spring-loaded traps and had to force himself to speak up. "If you're not prepared for an agonizing death as poison disintegrates your tissue and infects you to the very bone, then move your hand." The blonde's eye widened, and then he pulled away, making a face.

"What the hell is wrong with you, danna?" he mumbled, wiping the hand down the front of his pants. "You're making biochemical weapons in the back of your sweet old granny's shop."

Sasori leaned against his workbench and reached back to pick up a spare part to tinker with. The head of his miniature golem was unfinished, the expression only just starting to take shape. The only polished detail was the jaw, which could open and close with a sharp snap. "You really have no idea what that hag's capable of. Just who do you think first sparked my interest in poisons?"

"His talents serve their purpose, Deidara," The blue-haired woman examining one of his completed golems spoke softly. At least she had the sense not to try and touch. Konan bent forward, her gauzy skirt brushing around her legs. She straightened and glanced over her shoulder at them. "Just like yours."

"When they're actually working and not bitching," Yahiko grumbled with a roll of his blue eyes. He tried to maneuver around one of the manually-operated puppets, to take a seat near Konan, but his pants leg snagged on the serrated edge of a round saw he'd leaned there. Their ginger leader carelessly picked it up and flung it over his shoulder, out of his way, causing it to land with a thunk in the back wall and narrowly miss his shelve of resins.

Sometimes Sasori had to remember he took orders from that punk, and that turning him into a golem wouldn't be feasible to keeping his place in their little organization. He was still willing to try his luck on Deidara, though. He was much more easily expendable.

"What I want to know is why we all needed to meet here?" he asked impatiently, his feathers getting ruffled as he drew his wings closer to his back. "This couldn't have been done through the usual methods?"

"And how come the others don't have to show, hm?" Deidara whined. "Is their time suddenly more valuable?"

"No," Nagato sighed, sweeping some of his dark red hair out of his eye, only to have it fall back in place. "They're just out on assignments. We chose to meet here, because every so often it's nice to relay information face to face."

"It's hard to work with people you hardly ever look in the eye," Konan added. She'd pulled out a sheet of origami paper from her hidden, limitless supply, and was quickly fashioning the piece in her hands into a very detailed bird almost absently.

"That being said, Zetsu saw one of Hanzo's men in the red light district."

That brought everyone's drifting attention snapping back like it should be. They did some of their best business there. And Hanzo wasn't like some of the ambitious little yakuza lordlings who occasionally overstepped boundaries and were easily dealt with, he was a real danger to everything they were working toward.

"The hell's he doing here?" Deidara growled. "Everybody knows he hardly leaves Ame—even his underlings barely leave the borders. They—"

"Hellooo? Chiyo-obaa? Is anyone here?" The room stilled, the only thing moving were everyone's eyes, which of course landed on him accusingly.

Sasori rewarded them with a mildly agitated face. _'Of all times that damn girl shows her face.'_

Peeling himself away from his workbench, Sasori walked into the shop's front room, finding the pink-haired brat glancing around in confusion, two boys at her side.

One, a blonde he'd never seen before, sniffed the air and then spun in his direction. Sasori's cinnamon eyes remained aloof, brushing over Sakura as she turned his way. "Sasori, where's—"

"Not here today, unlucky for you." Sasori cut her off. "So if you just came for a chat and some tea with the crone, then I suggest you move along, little girl."

Sakura glowered, and he guessed he'd nailed the exact purpose for her visit. For some reason the short-tempered Fae liked to put stock in his grandmother's Divination abilities. Chiyo might have been the real deal, but he'd long since stopped being impressed or even caring.

"Maybe I'm buying today," she retorted, her cheeks slightly pink. Stomping over to a random shelf, she grabbed up a bottle after barely looking at it, then stormed over the counter and set it down hard. "There, ring me up!"

Sasori picked up and examined the bottle with a mirthless chuckle. "I can't imagine what interesting spells you'll cook up with natural laxative."

Sakura flushed, snatching the bottle away and clumsily placing it back on the counter, unable to meet his eyes.

"Hey asshole, when's the old lady coming back?" The blonde snapped. Great. Another rude brat who—

Now that he was closer, he could see the thin lines on each tanned cheek and the brief glimpse of sharp teeth every time he opened his mouth. It was the choker, however, that his gaze came to rest on.

It was either an edgy fashion choice, or a Limiter. Knowing this girl's propensity for stumbling her way into improbable situations, and the fact that the boy was otherwise dressed so bright it was blinding, Sasori knew which possibility _he_ thought was more true. "Yet another boy toy…" he closed his eyes, smirking. "Unbelievable."

The dark-haired kid who had accompanied her last time turned to the blond with a barely-there expression of bemusement. "Is he saying you're not anatomically correct?"

The second Summon only looked confused, but the first pressed on, "It would be understandable that he'd mistake your anatomy for a doll's when you have such a small—"

He was shoved aside rather harshly by an exasperated rosette. "Not now Sai," Sakura scolded.

Then, she stepped right up to Sasori and got into _his_ personal space. They faced off in silence, the once feisty Summon waiting awkwardly to see if he needed to intervene.

Sasori met her jade glare straight on. "You look like you've got something to say to me,"

When she put both hands on her hips and leaned up to balance precariously on the tips of her toes, making herself barely an inch taller, Sasori felt his cheek twitch as his mouth drew up on one side. "I've got a lot I could say," she huffed. "Starting with how big of a jerk you are and ending with the fact that you should treat your grandmother better." Narrowing her eyes to make sure he got the message, she deflated, "I _did_ come because I wanted to ask Chiyo-obaa some questions about Suna, but—"

"The architecture's surprisingly striking, for being rigid that is…" Deidara suddenly piped up, casually taking a seat on the counter. With his legs dangling over the side the redhead noticed his paint splashed jeans for the first time, and wondered if it was a conscious design choice, or if Deidara had recently tried a new medium and utterly failed at it. Painting was at least more respectable than whatever the nonsense was that he did with clay… paintings could last through the ages if properly preserved.

Sakura and her Summon started, except the one that had gotten forcibly pushed aside; he watched Deidara keenly. In spite of the contemptuous look Sasori gave his _colleague_ , he refused to leave. Or stop talking.

"Thinking about taking a trip?" he asked conversationally. The blonde idiot wore a look of absolute interest, as if his world hinged on her answer, when not too long ago he'd been so bored and distracted he'd nearly gotten himself poisoned touching things.

Sasori didn't miss the way Sakura's eyes flickered down to the toned forearms on display after he'd rolled his shirt sleeves up to his elbows. The mouthy Summon was noticing too, and he looked far less impressed than his master. The strange, pale one stayed silent and unreadable, so maybe he'd had any emotion knocked out of him. Still, Deidara's interference carried too much intent.

' _What's he up to now?'_ The chance that he was nosey enough to get into a conversation that didn't concern him was as likely as Konan or Yahiko ushering him out to come and observe. Using his workshop—as impractical as he still felt it was—meant they needed to keep a close eye on everyone who'd be coming and going while they discussed what to do about Hanzo, and the next phase of their operations (which is what he strongly suspected they'd be getting to next).

"Actually," Sakura let her eyes jump back to him, resuming their stare-off, "No…I just remember Chiyo-obaa mentioning she moved here about five years ago. And I had some questions about Sunan…culture… I read up on." She gingerly swept some soft pink strands behind a pointed ear.

He could see in her eyes that she knew exactly what she wanted ask, but was playing it coy. "Why the sudden interest?" he asked flatly.

Sakura drew her shoulders back, briefly thought it over, and then answered without missing a beat, "Because I'm studying the economic relationship between Konoha and Suna for school and it got me interested in other aspects of living in a desert nation. Especially since the Wind Kingdom has such a different form of government." Deidara nodded along like he believed it, but Sasori didn't. Nevertheless, the little girl was good at thinking on her feet, he would hand it to her. It didn't mean he wasn't suspicious about whatever she was poking around to find out.

"The first thing you should know about is how different the food is there," Deidara once again felt the need to speak when he had no place to. Holding up his index finger, he went on with a sly little grin. "Sasori-danna may look delicate, but he's developed an iron stomach because of growing up on a Sunan diet, hm."

"Hm…" The younger blonde's eyes were all but shut as he tilted his head in obvious confusion. The resemblance to a fox was brought to mind, and Sasori felt irked it had taken him that long to figure out. "Iron stomach, huh? So that must mean people there live off stuff that'd barely pass for edible…" After drawing his profound conclusion, the disrespectful brat had the nerve to stick out his tongue with a grimace.

Before Sasori had the chance to start in on him for his impudence, Sakura had already reprimanded him with a firm glare and a wagging finger. "Naruto, don't you know how rude it is to talk that way about another country's food?! It's an important part of their culture that reflects tradition, and—"

"Suna is a country that's remained under the rule of a monarchy since its founding," Sai told them as if there was a chance someone wouldn't already know that very common piece of public knowledge. He really couldn't tell where any of this was supposed to be going. But the meeting had been totally derailed and he was growing impatient that he'd kept everyone in the workroom waiting so long. "The country was once a beautiful, lush landscape, until the wrath of the Shukaku turned it into near-barren desert."

"That's the most popular lore," Sasori grumbled. "What's the point of all this? You're wasting time."

Sakura looked to be on the verge of firing something sarcastic back, but last minutely decided to be more productive with her questioning. "Then…then it's true that the royal family are descendants of Shukaku?" her eyes widened in curiosity, "Because I've heard that that's why certain members are born able to manipulate sand. …I know the last king could," she rambled. "And there was a rumor about one of his children that—"

"Yeah, the youngest prince." Sasori said flatly. Suddenly she was so intent on the conversation, and he couldn't figure out why she'd come all this way just to grill him on something as random as the sand manipulation occasionally passed down among Sunan royals. "The older he got, the less he was seen out with the rest of the family." he recalled absently. "After he had an accident."

"What kind of accident?" Sakura pressed.

There was a hint of worry on her face he couldn't understand the reason behind.

"What a shame. I thought you were competent enough to put two and two together," he mocked idly. "Impressive power is only beneficial when it's dangerous to everyone else."

Even when his grandmother had worked for the royal court and had a seat on the council, it interested him very little. King Rasa's ambition and arrogance had led to domestic terrorists from one of the kingdom's poorer cities feeling they had no choice but to stage a coup. It had been pointless from the very start, naturally. The small group of "freedom-fighters" were quickly crushed or subdued, but not before causing casualties, his parents among them.

"So that was the guy they killed…" Naruto's eyes grew distant. "I can't help but feel kind of bad for him though. Must have been a lonely feeling, you know?"

The fae pursed her lips in what _some_ might consider an endearing manner, her mind clearly working through something at a rapid speed. "Anyway, we need to go..." she mumbled, eyes darting everywhere but his face. "Er, thanks…"

At any other time, Sasori would make a point of flustering her by pointing out her unsureness. Truth be told, though, he felt more awkward than he'd like in a situation where their conversation had been mostly devoid of provoking each other. So as she and her pets left, he didn't have any witty remarks, no parting shots.

"Interesting girl, eh danna?" Deidara smiled slowly. "But she should really work on her poker face." Ah, so maybe the blonde wasn't as much of a clueless moron as he'd always assumed.

Sasori made sure to change the sign on the door and lock it. No more disruptions. The very little patience he possessed had been worn thin by that whole exchange. When he crossed the storefront to rejoin the rest of the group, Deidara hopped down and followed. "Naïve brats like that never realize how easy they are to read." he grunted. Or to exploit…

The stupid girl would go snooping where she shouldn't and wind up in over her head in no time. That, of course, was none of his concern.


	17. The Fourth Element

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto, Sai, plus a talk about the value of life in a vent. Now understanding everything, Sakura wants to save Gaara from himself, but he may not give her the chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains contemplation of suicide and an interrupted attempt at self-harm.

"I thought he said fifteen minutes," Naruto huffed. "It's been like a half hour already!" And if that damn doctor didn't finish giving Sakura the rundown, he had no issues busting in there. That was that.

"It's only been eight minutes." Sai leaned against the wall on the other side of the door, cautiously biting into an oatmeal cookie a nurse had offered him with a flirty smile that he had been oblivious to. Naruto had been included in the offering, but he was too apprehensive to try choking down some dry cookie.

He still didn't trust that guy, _Dr. Yakushi Kabuto_ , and he didn't like Sakura anywhere near him, especially not alone. But she'd insisted she'd be fine and it wouldn't be long. He still hated it.

"Why're you so calm?" he snapped, watching Sai chewing experimentally. When the were-jaguar had swallowed that bite, he lowered the cookie from his lips.

"Because I can hear everything being said." he explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Naruto rolled his eyes. So could he, and most of it was endless rambling in doctor lingo as Kabuto explained something. Nothing that set him at ease. In the beginning of the appointment, all three of them had been in the room.

After hooking them all up to a weird machine and having them try to feel out each other's magic, Kabuto had informed them with fascination that Sakura's painful decline had almost completely reversed following her second contract. Then, he'd asked if he could do a few simple follow-up labs on just Sakura. Naruto didn't really get why they needed to leave the room for that, but Sakura didn't seem too concerned, suggesting they could go and get something from the vending machines while they waited.

Aside from his attitude over Kabuto, the information they'd been given was pleasing. It was the news Naruto had been expecting all along. He'd been keeping a close eye on everything about Sakura, just in case. On occasion he even secretly scented her, satisfied that the only smell clinging to her was her own. The kitsune never wanted to find _that smell_ on her again. He'd never forget it, or how distressing it was to notice how quickly the sickly scent completely blotted out her natural one.

"I've realized our master is resilient. The pressure she's under would make plenty of other people in her position hesitate. Or give in." Sai paused, his eyes distant. "But she…finds strength even when she's afraid."

"Tell me about it," That was something they could agree on at least. In the last week since Jiraiya had struck them with the information on Summoner/Summon bonds, Sakura had been practicing with them every day in the yard.

Their attempts at magic syncing on a more advanced level than simply sensing each other were clumsy at first. But recently there'd been progress made, and when Sakura channeled her magic into her Evoker at the same time they channeled theirs into their Limiters, Naruto could feel his power climbing, and he was positive Sai and Sakura felt it in themselves, too.

The door swung open just then, and Dr. Kabuto existed with a nurse pushing a tray of blood samples he'd presumably ordered to be taken while he muttered at his clipboard. "Oh, boys," he looked at them as if mildly surprised before adjusting his glasses with the stem behind his ear. Naruto's eyes lingered there. The last time they'd met Kabuto, he noticed that was a common habit of his. A possible tell. "Everything's fine." Motioning to the cart was rolling away, he went on, "I'll finish updating her medical chart and then bring a copy for her. Feel free to rejoin Sakura if you'd like."

They watched silently as Kabuto walked down the hall speaking to his nurse, an unsettling feeling in the air. Sai started off after them, and Naruto grabbed at his shoulder. "Where are you going?"

Turning his head, Sai stared at him with chilly eyes, his strange smile noticeably missing. Pulling away, he trailed after the doctor without a word, keeping a good distance. Naruto growled, not exactly understanding what was going on, but knowing he wasn't about to be left out of it.

**ARfF**

Employing the same stealth he relied on for past missions, the were-cat tailed the man called Yakushi Kabuto. Instinct dictated this person was potentially hiding something, just the slightest fluctuation in his scent to give away the otherwise perfect façade. He wasn't the only one to have his suspicions.

Naruto glared and grumbled over the human doctor, too, choosing to follow his lead when he quietly went after Kabuto. Keeping out of range of the cameras set up around nearly every corner, he let the doctor and nurse duo enter an area he was sure was restricted.

It wasn't enough of a deterrent to stop him as he quickly located a vent further up the wall, his claws coming out to make quick work of scaling up and unscrewing the bolts. The persistent presence of a certain kitsune moved even closer before he could replace the vent, a currently invisible Naruto crawling in after him.

"Keep moving, your ass is in my face," the disgruntled fox hissed under his breath. Sai could feel Naruto using an elbow to shove him along.

"If touching me there is supposed to be one of the advances I've read about, then I hope the rejection I'll have to issue won't harm our partnership." Sai crept along softly, ignoring the way he could practically feel the anger vibrating the air duct behind him.

Kabuto's caustic, chemical scent was nearly lost in the overly-sterilized facility, but he picked it out, able to see him moving down below. He'd stopped in a secluded office, judging by the distance he'd walked to get there. Sai's sharp feline eyes picked out a sparsely decorated space with framed documents on the walls, a tall and flourishing plant in the corner, and a desk with an abundance of loose papers and stacked files along with a computer.

Naruto's quiet seething slowly dissipated as he too presumably focused in on whatever Kabuto was doing. While his nurse wheeled the blood samplings away, the silver-haired doctor produced a phone from his lab coat. Reaching an area of air duct where the path branched, the blonde was able to slide himself in a position where he was no longer directly behind Sai, but adjacent.

Their heartbeats slowed to a near crawl as Kabuto lifted the phone to his lips. "Yes, I'm sorry it's been so long since I reached out." he began apologetically. "But you should be happy to know I've gotten the blood samples for us. It's truly phenomenal."

There was a pause while whoever he was speaking to responded.

"My thoughts exactly. It'll certainly go a long way in furthering our—oh, well no, I haven't—" Whatever he heard made him falter slightly, his pleased smile falling. "I can try, but I'm afraid that may take more time than we have. And the primary focus of the study was to, well, possibly synthetically duplicate it as flawlessly as we could. What you're talking about would require nothing short of dissection." He laughed briefly, a smirk back on his lips.

Naruto started growling quietly, and Sai gave him a pointed look. He shot back a nasty snarl, but settled enough not to raise suspicions.

"Yes, I understand," the increasingly shady doctor sighed. "I live to serve." The phone call ended when Kabuto lowered it from his ear and tapped his screen. "Always so eager in the face of discovery," he mumbled to himself, shaking his head. Slipping the phone back into his pocket, he continued onto himself. "But then, aren't I the same?" The light reflecting off his glasses completely obscured his dark eyes, and the were-jaguar didn't need any advanced senses to get an unsettling feeling.

Yakushi Kabuto leafed through a few things on his desk, scribbling for a while and periodically taking a sip from a mug he'd barely noticed sitting in the midst of the clutter. When he was done draining the contents, he set down his pen and exited the room with a hurried pace to his steps. No sooner did they hear the door click shut than Naruto sneezed loudly.

"Damn it, I was holding that in forever!" he complained. "I thought that guy would never get out."

Sai turned back the way they came. "With all the DNA he's collected and the fact that we can now assume his intentions for doing so don't have our master's health in mind, there's no point in hesitating."

The shapeshifter began dragging himself back through the vents.

"Whoa, where are you going _now_?" Naruto caught his leg and started dragging him back.

He sounded frustrated and genuinely perplexed. Sai would've thought it would have been obvious.

Propping up on his elbows and with his leg in the tight grip of the kitsune, he was forced to pause. "To kill him." he explained.

"Wha—" Naruto's hold loosened in shock. "This better be another one of your weird jokes, Sai."

"Why would it be?" he asked, starting to move again. "It may be unthinkable for you, Naruto-kun, but I've killed countless targets in the service of my former master." And while most of the time it was after being given a direct order, there were a handful of occasions where he'd had to act before someone could get to the point of being a true threat.

"You…you _killed_ people?!" Naruto's voice rose considerably. It was a good thing he had never served an organization like Sai had. He would be horrible at covert assignments, either getting himself killed or facing severe punishment from his master for failure. "So you're just going to… _attack him in a hospital_?"

Sai hadn't considered that. He didn't really need to draw attention. It would be problematic for him, but most importantly for his Summoner. "Noted. I should go and collect something personal of his. To himself, he whispered, "I'll use it to follow his scent trail and ambush him in his home."

"Holy shit, _stop_!" Naruto secured both ankles and hauled him back with impressive force.

Sai lifted his head after it bounced against the bottom of the duct. "Let go," he said calmly.

The kitsune was practically hugging his legs, and he could feel him shake his head. "How am I supposed to do that after what you just said!"

"Naruto-kun, there are times when a Summon can protect their master simply by acting as a shield, and defending, but this has become a case of needing to take on the role of a sword."

As fiercely protective as Naruto had always been over their master, Sai thought that reasoning might get through to him. Instead the fox scoffed. "You really think that's what Sakura-chan would want? For you to go out and…and end someone's life for her? Maybe it won't affect your conscience at all, but it'll definitely effect hers!"

His eyes widened. The conversation they'd had in her bedroom came to mind. _"I'd never ask," she'd insisted. "I would_ never ask _you to give up your humanity for me."_

"Protecting someone is about more than being willing to stick your neck out for them," Naruto said much more softly. "You have to think about what's gonna protect their heart, too…"

"Protect…their heart?" What did that mean? How was he supposed to protect an organ securely inside her chest? Wasn't that what her ribs were for? Unless this was another example of something not to be taken literally, and it was sailing over his head again.

"Maybe it's selfish, but I don't just want Sakura-chan to trust me with her life." Naruto continued, oblivious to his inner dilemma, "I want her to know she can trust me with her feelings."

So that was the problem. Naruto understood her emotions in a way he didn't. Sai had only just scratched the surface of understanding his own.

"I won't do it then," he finally conceded. Naruto let him go with a relieved sigh. "I don't have the right to make those decisions when I don't understand how they'd effect the one I'm making them for."

Releasing a short laugh full of leftover nervous energy, Naruto shuffled behind him. "Now that I know you're not gonna go all crazy on us, let's get that stuff some other way. Then we should probably head back." He felt the nudge against the sole of his shoe. "Sakura-chan's probably wondering where we are and all."

As they crawled silently back through the ducts, Sai considered that having someone who noticed his absence and became annoyed over it, could be deemed a form of caring.

* * *

She had no idea where the two goofs wandered off to, or why they came back looking like they now shared some dirty secret, but she was willing to overlook it if it meant leaving the confines of the hospital behind. Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of her woes.

Sakura stared down at the number already selected with a tight chest. A promise was a promise, but… why had she made this particular one? She almost wished she'd found a way to distract Tsunade instead of trying to be mature about the situation and agreeing to call her parents as soon as she left the check-up. It was a beautiful, cloudless day, but Sakura was sure rain would come and dump out over her head the minute she was off the phone.

' _Toughen up, Sakura_ ,' she scolded herself. ' _This can't go on forever.'_ Letting her parents brush aside her feelings and push her around wasn't a habit she intended to take into adulthood. Which was why it was important to confront it now. She'd tried before, of course, but it was time to try harder. She hit the button and listened to the ring tone, trying to relax her mind.

Sakura stared out at the park's neat landscape from her bench seat. A long path lined with saucer magnolia trees in full bloom ran through the entire two miles of park. They were so full and rich in colors of pink, white and purple, releasing a fragrant aroma that felt like spring.

Out on the grass, Sakura could see a group doing yoga on colorful mats, and further out in the same field, children were playing some sort of game, holding hands and moving in a circle while they sang.

Sakura searched for two familiar troublemakers, knowing they could be anywhere but hoping they were close by. An oval trail circling around a lake was dotted with joggers, young couples, and parents pushing baby strollers. Ducks swam across the lake's surface, happily accepting offerings from children who fed them.

And, on the other side of lake, they were…playing Frisbee? Sakura squinted, not sure if that was really a plastic disc in Naruto's hand, but when he waved his arms and then tossed it Sai's way, she knew it was. She wasn't sure when the two of them had started getting along, but she was far from complaining. It was about time.

"… _Hello?"_ An exasperated voice sighed into her ear. _"Is this supposed to be a joke?"_

"Oh, Mom!" Sakura started, realizing she'd been so busy letting her thoughts wander she hadn't noticed she was still in the middle of a call.

" _Sakura?"_ her mother's voice was now slightly surprised.

" _Yeah, it's me."_ She closed one eye and sucked in a deep breath. _"Sorry, I got distracted."_

Already recovered, Mebuki began taking charge of the conversation. But Sakura expected that, and she was prepared. _"It's certainly unexpected. Tsunade was under the impression you'd call soon, but I told your father it was more likely that we'd have to pay you another visit."_

"That's what I really wanted to talk about, actually," Sakura tried to dredge up every ounce of civility she could. Losing her temper was as good as proving her mother's point for her, that she wasn't emotionally mature enough to handle herself. "I have another Summon now. I haven't had any of the symptoms since then, and when I went for the follow up appointment with Dr. Yakushi, he was very pleased about the results."

The pause that followed was deafening.

Sakura was about to push on, but her mother's voice came back on the line. "You're saying you should stay, because now you've got everything under control. I'm guessing that's the long and short of it,"

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Ye—"

" _The problem there, Sakura, is the last time we saw you, you didn't have everything under control. And as much as we'd all like to forget our mistakes after the fact, life doesn't work that way."_

Sakura gaped, unable to think of any counter-argument. Her mother may not have understood everything about Summoning magic. Neither did her dad. But they knew it was complicated and powerful, and that there was no possible way she'd have known that just one Summon wouldn't alleviate her pain, but worsen it. The way she made it sound, Sakura felt like she was being blamed for _that_ lack of knowledge too.

"I know that," she said lowly, trying to keep her eyes on a cute baby who was being bounced in its father's arms. Anything innocent to chase away the dark thoughts starting to form. "I was stupid and stubborn," While it was true, and she wouldn't mind admitting it to almost anyone else, she felt like doing so with her mother was equivalent to making a blood sacrifice, "But I'm really doing better now. And I have a life here, Mom. I can't just drop everything to…"

" _You dropped everything to move there in the first place,"_ Mebuki accused.

Her fingers were growing dangerously tight around the phone. If she wasn't careful she'd crack the whole screen, or it would shatter to pieces in her hand. "Could I…could I talk to Dad?" she managed.

She faintly heard clothes rustling, and then her mother speaking quietly before presumably passing the phone.

" _Sakura-chan?"_

Sakura smiled tiredly. "Hi, Dad…"

" _You sound a little out of it, sweetheart. Everything alright? How's Tsunade? Oh, and Shizune, of course?"_

"Both fine, Dad. I'm a Fourth Level Initiate now."

" _Oh, that's…"_ She rolled her eyes, practically able to picture him fiddling with his mustache.

"It's a part of my hedge witch training." she explained.

" _Ah,"_ he hummed, sounding fully enlightened. " _Well it's a good thing you've inherited my terrakinesis and not something like sand manipulation._ "

' _Oh no,'_ Sakura groaned.

" _Because then you'd be a sand witch!"_ he concluded proudly.

"Dad…" Sakura shook her head.

" _Oh, don't be so stiff! These are_ the _jokes, sweetheart!"_

"No, they're you're jokes." She corrected primly. "The cheesiest of all dad jokes…" Even if she didn't always like the way he had a habit of taking her mother's side when it counted, he was her father, and he always had a way of making her loosen up. She peeked out across the lake to see Naruto and Sai were both chasing after a shaggy dog that apparently had stolen the Frisbee.

" _Well,"_ he chuckled. _"Enough about my unappreciated attempts at wit…I know we may not always go about showing it in a way that makes you believe it, but Sakura-chan, if you ever need to, you can always come home."_

And there it was. Again.

"Dad, I _am_ home now. I mean I don't mind visiting, but…I really like it here in Konoha." Not wanting to seem like she wasn't willing to compromise, she added, "Otofuku is only four hours away." Despite that relatively short distance, though, the two felt like different worlds. Konoha was a busy, vibrant metro area with a blend of humans and different magical races. Otofuku's Fae population made up the majority, then humans, and other magical creatures less than that.

" _I see…"_ Kizashi said simply. Unlike her mother, he knew when to stop pushing. Knew when she'd made up her mind. Sometimes, Sakura thought that was the reason why he remained silent when she was having big arguments with her mom, so he wouldn't be forced to pick a side and accidentally let slip that he agreed with her half the time. What he didn't see was his silence was him picking a side. And it was her mother's. Every single time. " _I'm sure you're fully aware of the upcoming Fairy Circle Ball."_ he said, suddenly changing conversations. Onto another equally undesirable topic! " _And since you're of age now, everyone's going to expect you to be in attendance."_

Oh, did she ever know it. A child walking by happened to look in her direction, and when his eyes found her face his lower lip started to tremble.

Sakura knew she was wearing a scowl that could curdle milk _and_ intimidate children. That was just how talking about these things made her feel. "Can we…can we skip this, Dad?" she asked, voice pinched.

Fae and their traditions and their pomp and circumstance could be so draining. She really didn't see how her mother thrived in it all. Then again, it was her mother.

Her father seemed to go with the flow, not quite rejecting it outright, but not bothering to put on airs. He really didn't have to. He was from a small but respectable family of mountain Fae and when he'd married he'd taken on his wife's last names at the Haruno family's insistence. " _I don't mind, personally, but you know your mother…"_

"Sure do," she grunted, resting her head against the back of the bench.

Her mother was a Haruno, from _the_ Haruno clan, and as much as Sakura tried to ignore the complications of the lineage and her pushy extended family, she was a part of it, too. She really wished she had Ino's life. Her mother was a fauna Fae, and she'd always given Ino the choice to embrace that side of her heritage without trying to make it her identity.

Her phone started to beep, signaling another incoming call, and Sakura glanced at the screen to see Ino's number, of all people. She doubted her friend had anything really important to say, but she could use the come-down after the emotionally draining conversations she'd had back to back.

"Hey um, Dad? I have another call waiting and it's from Shizune." She flinched only slightly at the lie. "It might be important,"

" _You_ _go ahead and take the call,_ " Kizashi urged. " _We'll_ _talk_ _more_ _later_."

"Right," Sakura smiled a little. "Bye, Dad."

They hung up almost simultaneously, and Sakura pressed the button to connect to Ino.

"What's up, I—"

" _Sakura?!"_ The frantic screech was not what she'd been expecting, and the pinkette nearly dropped the phone.

"Ino, what's going on?" she asked cautiously.

" _Wh-Where are you?"_

"At…At the park…" she whispered. Ino wasn't acting in her normal dramatic way. She sounded genuinely panicked. "The one near the train station."

In the minute and a half of erratic breathing that followed, Sakura could almost hear Ino sobbing in relief.

"What happened?" Sakura stood, surveying the park as if something ominous would jump out to terrorize the innocent joggers and duck-feeding children. She noticed quite a few people had stopped what they were doing and looking at their phones and tablet screens. Naruto and Sai had given up on getting the Frisbee back from the dog and slowly making their way over.

" _There was another terrorist attack like thirty minutes ago, close to the library."_ Alarm nearly made Sakura crumple in on herself. Now it made sense why Ino was so worked up. Her best friend was the only one she'd told about the true recent for her frequent (more than usual) trips there in the last week.

Naruto and Sai assumed it had to do with her witch studies. That was what she'd told them, and they were content to mill around in other areas while she snuck away. She found books on magic by geography and poured over them, unable to stop thinking about the enigmatic rescuer from the alley that night.

He'd used sand. She'd never forget the sight of it, crushing the life from those vampires. But control over sand wasn't exactly a common ability. Outside of the Suna royal family, most other magical beings who possessed that trait resided far from the Fire Country and were from prominent families as well. The thought of the cage-fighter Hikage actually being a secret heir or a _foreign royal_ was ridiculous.

But Sakura hadn't been able to let go of something that piqued her curiosity to such an extent. Ino had teased her about having a crush on a dangerous bad boy. She'd insisted her interest was strictly clinical. And yet…she had seen those eyes again in her dreams. Not the hazel ones from the alley, but teal ones rimmed in thick black circles. There was something familiar in both sets of eyes.

"I'm fine Ino," Sakura assured. "Sai, Naruto and I—"

" _Lots of people are dead, Sakura…"_ she choked. _"And I thought…I—"_

The boys reached her at that moment, looking like they'd definitely come out on the losing end of the battle for the plastic disc. Sai's hair was standing up oddly on one side and he had grass stains on his bare abdomen. Naruto was no better off, with an entire side of his face covered in dirt, blades of grass in his hair, and a disgruntled look as he wiped at a wet spot on his shirt he mumbled was slobber.

If she didn't have a barely-calmed Ino on the phone, she would have burst out laughing. Just how badly did that dog kick their asses? Actually, considering they were supposed to be supernatural beings of superior strength, intelligence and speed far above that of an average house dog…it was actually embarrassing. 'These _two…are my Summons…'_

"We felt distress, but…it seems to be mostly gone now." Sai noted, nonetheless checking her over with his eyes.

"Yeah, Ino says there's another terrorist attack that happened today." Sakura swallowed. "With a lot of casualties."

Naruto stiffened and Sai blinked slowly.

" _Sakura…"_ Ino sounded so unsure, and that alone was a flashing warning sign. _"They said…they said that the area's covered in sand."_

A shaky gasp passed Sakura's lips, and she fell back to be bench, her legs too boneless to support her.

* * *

Great generals of the past often warned against the desire for safety, he recalled from his history lessons. War was said to be properly prepared for with the right balance of caution and courage. Gaara stumbled through the streets that seemed just a little more confining than usual. Everywhere, on every corner, the news was spreading, people speaking somberly about how anyone could ever commit such an atrocity.

His head swam, and though the dark thoughts were oddly silent, he couldn't remember the last he'd felt so imperiled. Despite knowing Konoha's underbelly couldn't hide him forever, he had foolishly thought he'd taken enough precautions to buy his siblings the necessary amount of time.

But that was naïve. He was running for his life, already having been condemned to death once, and nowhere was safe. Carelessness on his part had costed many people their lives, today…

A headache made him pitch forward, and he nearly stepped from the sidewalk, into the path of an oncoming bus. "Whoa, careful there!" Only the weight of a hand on his shoulder drew him back to the moment. Blinking, he turned behind him to find a peculiar young men staring at him in concern. The tanuki had never seen anyone with such thick eyebrows, or perfectly round eyes, for that matter. "You do not look so good." he frowned. "Is it the news about those poor people?"

Gaara wished the light would hurry and change. Something inside was stirring, threatening now more than ever to break free… "Something like that."

"Quite upsetting," The stranger agreed with a sigh. "And for such a thing to happen in broad daylight!" he clenched his free hand into a fist, which Gaara noticed was wrapped in bandaging all the way up to the crease between his elbow and forearm.

The pedestrian signal flashed, and Gaara started moving immediately, hoping to lose the friendly, green-clad young man. Unfortunately, he easily kept pace. "Indeed, anyone with such little regard for life and the miracle of youth it contains should be punished!" He sent a few swift punches at the air, his bowl cut shifting with the moves. "If only there were more information, aside from the likely culprit being a male with red hair and—"

"Lee, there you are!" A young woman with her brown hair secured in buns and wearing a quipao blouse was walking up to them from the opposite direction, her eyes fixed on the talkative person he had yet to lose. "Where've you been? I had to hoof it ten blocks," she said, bracing her hands on her knees to catch her breath.

"Ah, TenTen!" Lee greeted cheerfully, "I was on my way to the dojo when I thought of a great new way to build my speed, so I—"

"Just skip all that," she grumbled, seizing him by the arm. "Sensei's been waiting."

Finally, Gaara was free as Lee got dragged away like a scolded child. Babbling on and on. But, one of the last things he'd said to him caught his attention. There was already a suspect. Apparently a male with red hair. He'd seen earlier from the window of an electronics store that rescuers and law enforcement were already on the scene, clearing the area while simultaneously moving victims. Though there'd been some confusion about the amount of sand found mixed in with the smoking rubble.

" **You've been a fool."** The hostile rumble in his head came to life at the exact moment he didn't need to hear it.

Yet, it was right. Prolonging the inevitable in hopes of a miracle had only led to disaster. It would make sense that the very same individual or group that had conspired to have him tried for his father's murder and forced him to flee his home would have been watching his every move up to this point.

Letting him believe he had even the tiniest of freedoms, only to rip it away. Gaara felt his heart pulse, darker inclinations struggling to overwhelm his sensibilities. " **You were always just a pawn in someone else's chess game. And every move you were making on the board was dictated for you.** "

A guttural sound between a moan and a growl had people skirting around to avoid him on the sidewalk while simultaneously turning their heads in morbid curiosity. Gaara clutched his head, trying to tamp down the throbbing behind his eyes.

The gold would bleed through soon; he could just feel it. Keeping all his focus on maintaining the illusion, he stepped close to the edge of the pavement and stuck out a hand as a rush of cars drove by.

Maybe it was the absolute authority he exuded, but a taxi stopped at the curb shortly after. Save for the name of the service written across the side of the sleek silver car, he would have never guessed it was a paid transport vehicle.

The tinted front window rolled down to reveal a man in his early twenties, bopping along to a song he didn't recognize. "Where to, man?" he asked, shooting him an oddly sharp-toothed grin. Gaara nearly ripped the door of its hinges using too much force. Climbing in without a word, he waited until the confused driver turned down the music. "Just drive and I'll tell you where to stop."

"Uh…" Already anticipating protest, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a thick wad of bills without counting, slamming them down on the console. While in the city, he'd watched people struggle with their cards in stores, fumbling to swipe and insert them into readers or watching anxiously to see if it would decline.

Cage-fighting wins always paid in cash, and that simplicity suited him just fine. It was particularly handy during times such as this. "Right. Right…" His driver took the money and pocketed it awkwardly, shifting around in his seat. "But could you at least give me a direction? Some of the major intersections and streets are blocked because of the—"

"The southeast, near the residential district." Recounting what he could remember of the city layout, he decided immediately where he should end up. The only place he _could_ end up where the puppet master lurking in the shadows couldn't reach him.

* * *

A cloud of hysteria had fallen to blanket the once bright, peaceful day. As if that heart-stopping moment in the park had been the trigger, suddenly every bit of gossip she could catch was about the shock and fear the news brought on, coupled by frustration at what some citizens clearly thought was virtual inaction from the government.

The second attack in as many months, and this one came with an even heavier toll than the last. Sakura couldn't say she blamed people for being agitated and jaded.

And Naruto's incredulity over her expressing a desire to confront the supposed perpetrator was probably valid, too.

Many people had filtered out of the park, likely feeling uneasy out in the open, but there the three of them stood—at an impasse. "No." Naruto said firmly, standing directly in front of her. She'd never seen him look at her that way, ready to defy her at any cost. "That's…that's insane."

"Naruto," His name came out heavy, pleading. She just needed him to understand. There was a feeling she had. An instinct. And she needed to follow it. Sakura needed to confirm for herself the absurd suspicion she was clinging onto after a week of putting together the pieces in her head, might have some merit.

"You're asking us to let you confront someone who's a direct threat to your wellbeing?" Sai asked lowly. He too had more steel in his eyes than usual.

"I'm asking you to trust me!" she clenched both hands into the fabric of her shirt, over her chest.

They were silent, the fresh promise of teamwork and the tentative trust they had all agreed needed to be built, already put to the test.

Naruto sighed, scratching his head in frustration, "Somebody like that's not gonna wanna be found." he reasoned.

Sakura bit her lip, letting herself focus on the crazy idea she was suggesting. It was like she hadn't learned her lesson at all. There was no guarantee, other than her hunch, that this sand-wielder was the same one from that night. Hikage. The brutal fighter who was so oddly familiar, somehow. Who had helped her even before her friends could. Could it really be—

"Following a scent trail with such a large area to cover and nothing with a distinct smell to use complicates things." Sai added logically. Damn him. She was the one that was supposed to be running on logical. But more and more lately she felt some reckless, stunt-pulling interloper had seized control of her thoughts and actions.

Sakura quietly placed her hands into the pockets of her jacket. The same one Ino had given her to wear on that night, that she'd felt compelled to keep. Putting it on hadn't been anything she'd planned. The minor weather deity on the local news had said to expect a chill, so she had shrugged it on before stepping outside.

The feeling of a gritty texture against the fingertips of her left hand made her heart sputter. "S-Sand!" she exclaimed. The boys regarded her dubiously. Unconcerned with how she must look to them, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small amount that must have gotten trapped there with the large amount whirling through the air that night. Holding her palm toward them, Sakura beamed. "This could work, right?"

Naruto and Sai lowered their heads to peer at the stuff she was treating like gold dust.

"I dunno, Sakura-chan," Naruto slowly stretched a finger out to the sand, preparing to touch it. "It's not…exactly much to go on." Sai pressed his hand almost directly into her palm, closing his eyes and carefully smelling the particles. Sakura was so caught off guard by the near-brush of his skin against her palm and the slight tickle in the air, she had to focus on not letting their only clue slide through her fingers.

"I smell…" Sai mumbled, finally pulling away, "a faint trace of tanuki. It's not different from the one I smelled that day in the rain." He confirmed.

Sakura could feel the absurdity in her theory swapping places with validity with just that confirmation. Naruto cupped his hand under hers and brought them both toward his face, taking his own turn sniffing the small pile of granules settled there. His breath tickled her fingertips, making them wiggle a tiny bit. Luckily not enough to spill any sand. "Now that you mention it…it was really hard to smell anything in that alley besides vampire," Naruto scowled. "But this scent's sort of familiar."

"From the alley?" Sakura felt hope rising. This proved it definitively. She was meant to see Hikage one more time, and question him directly.

"No, from that time in front of the library." The blonde looked contemplative, and Sakura thought back too. The library…she'd left it in a fuss, and run into a man outside, making him spill his lunch. Oh! The stubborn jerk who'd insisted they'd never met.

"That must mean he's been the same person in disguise all this time." To think they'd shared more than one encounter already, and she was only just realizing it. "So do you think either of you could track the scent now?"

"In this form?" Naruto scratched his cheek, eyes squinted closed. "Uh, probably not from here."

Sakura nodded slowly. That made sense, she had to admit. It was a lot to ask for anyway. Park activity around them had stagnated. So much of the fun and the people who'd been enjoying it not even an hour ago were gone. While they'd spent the last fifteen minutes deliberating under the privacy of the copse of trees, even more park-goers had left.

"We'd be much more effective at searching as animals." Sai's passive statement had her eyes shifting to him curiously.

Was that the best idea, though? Sakura couldn't try to reason with him, because no sooner had he said it than she watched pale, black-haired Sai transforming into a large, beautiful jaguar that easily came up past the top of her head.

"S-Sai!" she gasped, noticing that a man who'd been in the middle of catching a football was so busy gaping that it hit him in the face. A toddler in the stroller of a woman jogging by started excitedly cheering for the "big kitty". Big indeed. Probably startling too. Seeing a were-person shift out in the open wasn't too common.

Naruto harrumphed turning away with his arms folded. "Okay, big deal," Peeking back at her, he grinned mischievously. "You've never seen _me_ transform."

Not sure she could handle the attention of having two decidedly not-so-park-friendly animals surrounding her, Sakura went to hold up her hands in protest before remembering the sand and pushing as much as she could off her fingers and back into her pocket. "No, that's really—"

"I bet I'm much faster than he is," Naruto went on. His body grew, fur replacing clothing and paws replacing hands, until the largest fox she'd ever seen was crouched before her. The smiling blue eyes definitely suggested it was the same brash kitsune, but Naruto's fox form was nothing like she'd expected.

Instead of a small, swift creature that came up to her calf, the goldish-red fox in front of her with erect ears and two rows of imposing teeth was the size of a stallion with long, bushy twin tails she could snuggle up with on a cold day. Unable to stop herself, Sakura reached out a hand and placed it near the back of his neck.

The fur under her fingers was incredibly fluffy and warm. Lowering onto his belly, he nosed her with a pointed muzzle, glancing at his back. Sakura's eyes widened. While it was true Naruto was now big enough to ride on…that wasn't a thought she had really entertained.

Was that why he brought up the point of being faster than Sai? Speaking of the were-cat, he was watching them with intelligent, dark eyes, the swish of the end of his tail the only sign of his possible impatience. Naruto barked urgently at her, taking her sleeve in his mouth and tugging her closer.

Carefully, very carefully, she straddled his back as onlookers pointed and openly stared. Great. She was a spectacle. Slipping her fingers around the leather on his throat, she clenched her eyes shut. "Don't make me regret this…" The kitsune underneath her lurched to his feet, drawing a yelp from her throat. ' _So high!'_ ' she thought, awed. ' _So this is what I'm missing out on?_ '

Fae women in her family didn't run very tall, and she'd certainly been no exception. Seated comfortably on Naruto's back, his thick fur tickling the backs of her exposed legs, Sakura felt…powerful.

She could feel his sturdy legs shift apart, tails rising behind him as he pointed his nose toward the outline of the city and breathed in deep. Beside them, Sai did the same, an apex predator on the hunt.

Naruto lowered his head, moving a few steps forward. "Did you pick up something?" she whispered, not wanting to break his concentration. He let out two consecutive grunts she couldn't really interpret. ' _If this is going to be a thing I need to learn to communicate with them, even when they're in these forms.'_

That was a project for another time, though. Sai's quiet growl stirred the air, and before she could turn and repeat her question toward him, Naruto was bounding off, tails streamlined behind them and every breath leaving her in a whoosh as she bounced along for the ride. The dark blur of Sai was all she could really see through her watery eyes, her body light as they raced the wind.

**ARfF**

Sakura could admit she had been worried about whatever city ordinances may prevent the riding of animals on public sidewalks, but Naruto seamlessly shifted from kitsune to person again without so much as slowing down. She found herself up on his shoulders with him holding onto her legs as she flailed for a place to put her arms. "Is this really necessary?" she huffed, checking to make sure no one was paying them close attention.

"For now," Naruto assured her, leaping over two movers bringing a couch out of a corner shop.

She turned her head, watching as they staggered to keep their grip in surprise.

"It's not very far," Sai commented, somehow also in human form and right there beside them, even though she'd hardly had time to notice.

Sakura tried to take a fortifying breath and steel her nerves. Truthfully, in the moment is was hard to tell how well that would actually for her. Glancing around, she realized they were in the business district, surrounded by tall office buildings just a few blocks away, RCMM city-headquarters. Almost everyone walking the streets or driving by wore business attire, casual or formal, and she shrank down so no one would meet her gaze. "Why would he be here?" she wondered, trying to see if she could spot anyone who gave off the semi-familiar vibe of the enigmatic tanuki.

"Dunno, but his scent trail's stronger and it," Naruto breathed in deep, slowing down in front of a tall tan building. "It goes here?" Sakura took the opportunity to hop down, marveling at the towering company so high the top floors seemed to disappear into the blue expanse of sky. Some well-dressed people who looked like they were in a hurry rushed through the revolving doors.

Sai ventured closer, and Sakura snagged his arm. "Something tells me that's not the kind of place we can just barge into." Three kids would be questioned and kicked out immediately.

Naruto glared, eyeing three more stiff-looking men in tailored seats who waddled inside. "I think I have an idea..."

At present, Sakura was more than willing to let someone else come up with a plan. She'd gotten them this far but hadn't thought too much about where she'd take things next... "We're listening," she urged.

Naruto stared at one hand. "I...I can do illusions on us and we can sneak right in, but they don't hold up as long as I want sometimes," he exhaled noisily. "So we gotta hurry."

Sakura fingered a lock of her hair. Too distinctive. "Then it's time for a makeover."

* * *

Konoha's architecture was so much different from Suna's. Then, the same could really be said about the city's entire layout. Standing on the rooftop of the ridiculous high-rise, Gaara could consider himself, and the events that had led him to this point. Unfortunate that his family's best efforts would all be in vain. But he couldn't put them at risk, or the innocents his pursuer was willing to plow through to get to him.

And with the beastly side of is fractured psyche pushing at his control, soon enough he might truly be the one at fault. Down below, he could hear the rumble of the approaching subway. Yet another mode of transport not familiar to his home. It was going to come zipping up the tracks in just a few minutes if his hearing was anything to go by.

An above ground line, and from what he had learned, the latest and fastest model currently in use. Flexing the fingers of his right hand, he watched a tendril of sand break away from his armor ' _The sand..._ ' It would try to protect him, it had done so too many times in the past against his will for him to think differently. Breaking through it wasn't impossible though, just close to it.

The velocity of descent, and the sheer force of the subway should be enough to, even briefly, pierce it, as long as he allowed himself to relax. Since early childhood, since he first began showing signs of instability as time went on and he continued to endure his father's heavy-handed training, Gaara had done his best to not let his guard down.

The closest he could come was meditation, which was meant to be relaxing by its very nature. Instead he used it in place of actual sleep. Years later and the last time he'd indulged himself that much was still fresh, as were the consequences.

' _It's nearly time…'_ What had once been a faint rumble was drawing closer—the subway was near. Edging toward the short wall of the high-rise, Gaara decided he could accept this. Though he hadn't found peace, or redemption, his existence would at least end on his terms. That had been what he'd wanted most.

**ARfF**

The illusions were just starting to unravel as they stumbled out onto the roof, and Sakura hardly had time to catch her breath when it was forced out of her again. There he was. Just like she thought he'd be. Making his way toward the high-rise's edge with silent but palpable determination.

From the vantage point it wasn't hard to see the subway line directly below, under a seventy foot drop. And she was smart enough to know he wasn't going for a closer look. Sakura gaped. "Is he serious?!" she started to run, Naruto and Sai wordlessly shifting once again. Preparing to protect her. Because that was the agreement they'd all reached. She only got to do this if they got to intervene when they thought it was necessary.

He _had_ to have heard her coming. Her footsteps were deafening even in her own ears, but he didn't turn, didn't flinch. "Stop! You idiot!" she screamed. There was a body-numbing fear that she wouldn't be fast enough. Already, he was so far ahead. In a trance, or too unbothered by her to acknowledge her in anyway. Throwing herself toward him, Sakura collided into his side and dragged a wheeze of surprise from him as they both tumbled across the rooftop.

 _'I underestimated my own strength again,_ ' she blinked back the floating spots, her side throbbing after they'd gone skidding ten feet and stopped. It was apparently all it took to break his trance and knock off the well-kept illusion.

A very supposedly-dead redheaded prince was pinned under her, staring with teal eyes widened in unmasked disbelief. Sakura frowned down at him. Why was _she_ being looked at like _she_ was the ghost?

Replaced with a disgruntled glare of acidity, his body melted into a cloud of shifting sand, reforming feet away into Prince Gaara, in all his so-not-dead glory. "You," he spat, not at all happy to see her.

Sakura got to her feet, placing a hand on her injured side and pushing a little of her healing energy into the large bruise she could already feel. "So you _do_ know who I am." She accused. " _Hikage_."

Sai prowled forward, stopping between her and the prince. If the shapeshifter decided he posed enough of a threat to attack, Sakura wasn't entirely sure recall would stop him. Naruto crept closer on nimble feet, his tails held to the side, like an arm he was bracing in front of her to block her path.

"This matter doesn't involve you," The redhead murmured, staring her down. Sakura clenched her fists, knowing without a doubt now. There was no mistaking that rasping voice with the underlying Sunan dialect that she'd heard outside the grocery store that day. Only then she'd had no reason to believe she'd been talking to a disgraced prince.

"I guess we'll see," she challenged.

There was the slightest shift in the air, and then Naruto was pushing her onto his back and jumping out of the way as a wave of sand crashed into where she'd been. The density and force with which he wielded it was deadly, but Sakura was confident he hadn't been aiming to kill. She'd seen his killing intent in the alley that night, and there wasn't the moment of hesitation.

"Get lost," he growled, eyes starting to look more gold. "Or you'll be the next victim of my sand."

"Just like all those people today?" she shot back, clinging tightly to Naruto's back from her awkward position sprawled on her stomach. The kitsune's tails curled high over his head, and the alluring blue flicker of the flames they generated told her the next move Gaara made would be met with retaliation. Sai's body was already low to the ground and ready to pounce, every powerful muscle rippling beneath his coat.

Gaara didn't speak, but Sakura was watching for something else entirely…a tell. She got it when she glimpsed a flicker of teal before it was swallowed up again. That one look though…it was full of pain.

Wind swirled her long hair, and she held her breath for a beat. "Unless it wasn't you."

He lifted a hand to his face, placing it over the red tattoo carved into his forehead. "A murderer capable of killing his king, his own father, is certainly capable of far more heinous crimes." The guttural tone of his voice told her he wasn't completely in control. She was taking a gamble. Whether or not he had done it remained to be seen, but there was no doubt that the wrong move could get them all killed. "You don't know me well enough to say otherwise."

"I know you saved my life," she called, sliding ungracefully from Naruto, despite his bark of protest. Sakura shuffled around her Summons' attempts to close her in, moving toward Gaara with her hands up in surrender.

"There's only cowardice in preying on the unsuspecting," he snarled. "At that moment my sand simply cried for their blood more than yours."

Sakura had no real counter to that, except what she'd heard him say to Naruto and Sai. That might have been what made her believe Hikage wasn't just a common lowlife who occasionally intervened on behalf of incapacitated girls for the hell of it, but someone with an actual conscience.

"You sounded like you knew a lot about the bond a Summoner has with a Summon," she said cautiously. "Did you…did you have that with someone?"

Gaara gave her a blank stare. "I can't imagine how often you're told to mind your own business,"

Sakura's cheeks puffed defensively. "I have a healthy dose of curiosity."

"I pity them then," There almost wasn't as much malice in his eyes when they glanced toward Naruto and Sai. "That must be maddening."

Sakura forced a tight smile. What was it about redheads from Suna that pushed all the wrong buttons with her? "Why're you here?" she decided to take a more hardline approach. He hadn't snapped on her yet. "You're a foreign citizen, a royal, and the world thinks you're dead. Coming to another city to cause trouble is pretty bold for a man on the run."

This time, when he started to mentally wall himself off again, she could see it. It was almost like…two different sides in there. "I didn't do it." he rasped. "I didn't kill anyone."

An admission of innocence. While she'd been hoping to drag one out of him, she wasn't sure what to do with him once she had it. "I know. That's why I'm here." She mumbled. "That's why I'm stopping you."

"What?" Three voices chimed. Naruto and Sai were both back to human it seemed.

"You just said you didn't kill anyone," Sakura gulped, her palms sweating as she continued. "I'm guessing that at least means no one innocent. Including the king. Am I right?"

"How could you know?" Gaara growled. "When I was brought before the courts…none but my siblings objected. Everyone else had already assured themselves of my guilt. And so, it was decided I would die for the crime of the kingdom's highest treason."

Processing that information, she once again took careful steps closer, watching him watch her every move warily. "You couldn't have gotten out of that on your own…someone cared enough to believe in your innocence."

"Do you presume to convince me that you believe as well?" He folded his arms across his chest.

Sakura glanced around impatiently. "I tracked you down across the city, I stopped you from…whatever stupid thing you were about to do, and I just wanted to talk to you, so I could tell for myself if you were really the person they said you were."

"Did you think this would help anyone?" Naruto stepped in now. "If you'd go this far just to take yourself out, you could put some effort into trying to help yourself out of this mess."

"Your naivety shines through once again," Gaara bit out. "As if a solution were that simple. I shouldn't be alive, and I'm a traitor to my kingdom, by all accounts." Dissolving into a clod of sand, he reappeared close to the building's edge again.

Sakura screeched, feeling her skin tingling with a sensation she hadn't experienced in a long time. The blood coursing through her was suddenly warming, the seal on her forehead expanding. She'd managed to reclaim everyone's attention.

Streams of sand rose into the air, spiraling down at her at twice the speed as last time. Sakura's working theory was that it was at least semi-sentient, and right now it clearly wanted to stop her from interfering any further.

Naruto and Sai attempted to spring into action, only to be forced down by a torrent of sand hitting them both solidly in the chest and sealing them to the roof floor.

Sakura evaded the sand hand that came grabbing for her as her Summons struggled vehemently. "Don't!" she commanded, a hot, concussive beam from her hand countering the sand, causing it to crystalize and drop uselessly to the ground. Gaara watched her roll and jump as assault after assault by the angry sand was dodged, unfazed.

After not calling on her powers for so long, Sakura couldn't understand why her beams seemed even stronger than before. "I don't want to fight you," It was dangerous. It always had been. And that was _with_ supervision from her parents.

No sooner had she said it, than one of her semi-erratic shots pierced through a blanket of sand, too close to hitting Gaara.

The prince abandoned his perch on the ledge, forced to shift into sand form and slither to a safe distance.

He'd barely resolidified himself when Sakura charged. Careful not to knock them over this time, she wrapped her arms tight in what she hoped was a restrictive hold. Her flesh popped with energy, and she could feel the sand on his body trying desperately to force her away.

She held fast, willing some of the geothermal energy to dispel back into the earth. Would it even work from their height? She'd never been able to conjure up her earth powers so high from the ground…

As his sand tried to repel her, Gaara started speaking. "Just because I didn't do it this time, that doesn't mean I won't be the cause next time. The carnage I could cause if I lost control…you can't imagine. I have to do this. So let go of me."

"It doesn't have to be this way!" Sakura insisted, shaking him. "You could still get your name cleared!"

Gaara chuckled emptily, shaking his head. "I can't live for myself anymore. And if this goes on, I couldn't live _with_ myself. Respect my wishes and let me die still holding onto sanity."

Sand circled their feet, brushing harshly against her exposed legs and arms as it traveled up.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto had broken free, with Sai not far behind. Shifting, he launched himself into the air with a menacing snarl.

Simultaneously, Gaara had worked one of his arms free and sent a hail of sand bullets raining down on her Summons. Naruto's fox fire was so strong it burned some of them away, Sai outmaneuvering the rest. "This is your last chance to save yourself." The tanuki warned.

Her mind racing, Sakura tried to get him to lower his arm. She didn't want to die, but Gaara didn't deserve to either. Not if he was telling the truth the way her gut knew he was. More than her gut, her magic was actively seeking to pacify his. "If you can't live for yourself…then…then live for me!"

The bubbling magic that had been clinging to her finally fizzled out, leaving her completely vulnerable. Gaara stilled. Naruto stilled. Sai stilled. Her heart beat so hard it was painful, the weight of her words teetering above them all.

Shocked, the kitsune became a boy again. "Sakura-chan, are you sure?"

"Yes," she croaked. "A Summon lives for their Summoner. And I want Gaara to live for me." Sakura quickly added, "I know that's selfish, but with me around, you won't be alone. If you slip I can catch you."

"Y-You don't know what you're saying." Gaara shook in her arms, not fighting, but breaking down.

"Live for me." she repeated, unbidden tears dripping onto his neck. "Please."

He groaned in pain, pitching forward and barely managing to catch himself.

"It's retreating," he grunted. Sure enough, the sand began to recede, becoming a part of Gaara again. His left arm glowed, and she watched a corded red leather bracelet wrap itself all the way from his wrist to his forearm. "It's a Limiter." he said reverently. "I'm your—"

Sakura felt the exact moment his legs gave out, and she turned them so that she fell to her back, absorbing most of the fall.

Gaara lay pressed against her side, breathing hard with unfocused eyes. She shared every ounce of his exhaustion. Her arms remained splayed across his back as she looked up at the sky, noticing sunset approaching for the first time.

Naruto rushed over, dropping to his knees and sliding a hand underneath her head. "Whoa, are you alright? You just…he's…" The blonde gestured wildly with his free arm, his face taking on an amusing amount of expressions in the span of under a minute. "Don't ever do that to us again," Is what he finally settled on. Sai, kneeling carefully too, canted his head, silently echoing that sentiment.

All drained after the most chaotic day imaginable, Sakura blinked drowsily at the sky. Large, dark birds flew in from the east. Their wings were strange, moving in a fast, whirring motion. "Sand…witch…" she said to no one.

That earned her some strange expressions. "I guess I really am a _sand_ witch." They hadn't been privy to the conversation with her father, so no one chuckled. Tired, she fought to keep her eyes from closing as the whir of odd wingbeats drew closer.

All four of them paid attention to the sky, and Sakura realized sluggishly that the black shapes had never been birds, but helicopters, and they were all closing in…

A tiny voice of alarm urged her to get up, because danger had arrived. A louder more insistent voice urged her to rest, sleep and regain back her lost strength. And without really meaning to, that's exactly what Sakura did.


	18. On a Wing and a Plane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uchiha Madara isn't above forcing Sakura into an impossible position to gain her compliance. If that isn't ominous enough, she and her Summons find themselves on their way to Suna, where Gaara is forced to stand trial for murder. Again.

' _I go too long without showing my face and suddenly I'm back from the dead, eh?'_ Except that ghosts didn't have footsteps. That small but important fact didn't do a thing to avert the blatant stares he was receiving from all around, people peering out of cubicles and around corners.

Madara ignored them with a self-satisfied smirk, his shiny leather shoes putting even the waxed linoleum floors to shame. He'd been patient, and as usual, it had paid off.

Coming to a metal door at the end of the office hall that required security clearance, he reached for his laminated badge. A quick scan was all it took and he was in, back in the holding area where some of the most dangerous criminals awaited booking pending interrogation. Some chatty rooks were standing around, no doubt swapping rumors, and when they spotted him, it was a mad dash to look busy. One young man in particular was so flustered he stood rigidly as he passed, except for his arm, which was held up at a bent angle in salute.

Fugaku must not be putting the greenhorns through their paces if they had time to stand around and shoot the shit. It wasn't his problem anymore, Madara reminded himself. No, he'd come for one reason and one reason only. And he knew without doubt he'd locate that reason in the back of the holding block, where there was a long, rectangular room divided by five inch thick concrete walls.

Outside the room, watching through a one-way mirror that encompassed nearly the entire wall, Madara recognized the wavy head of hair Kagami had passed down to his son. Shisui's eyes flickered away from the scene unfolding when he sensed the elder Uchiha's presence. "Madara-san, I don't think anyone expected for you to make an appearance." he blinked.

Shooting him a blank look, the older man resisted the urge to loosen his suit jacket. By his sacred ancestors how he hated the stuffy attire being in the RCMM required. "That's the very definition of surprise visit, is it not?"

"You've got me there," Shisui said affably. "Hell of a day for it though." He knew a jibe when he heard one, but he didn't acknowledge what was incredibly obvious. What other reason would he have to visit the precinct than that he'd been informed not even an hour ago the MLE took in four under-aged suspects? One of them female and pink-haired and more than likely exactly who he wanted to meet.

Sure enough, a girl matching that same physical description was sitting in an uncomfortable chair at a metal table, staring listlessly at its surfaced. Hm…he would have thought she'd be more animated, given her knack for turning up in the unlikeliest of places, mixed up with trouble.

Madara stepped closer to the window to see Fugaku doing his usual, spouting whatever bluster he thought would work, his trusted second standing off to the side and never taking his eyes off of the girl they were speaking to. More accurately speaking at, really. When he stopped, obviously expecting her to respond, she shook her head a little, her lips barely moving.

Clearly, whatever she'd said hadn't been the guilt-ridden confession Fugaku was going for. He crossed his arms, gave Kagami a pointed look, and then about-faced for the door. The minute he stepped out of the room into the quiet, carpeted hall and locked eyes with Madara, his already unpleasant expression only worsened. No wonder the frown lines around his mouth were so severe.

"Madara,"

"Fugaku," he smirked. "Let's not mince words as I'm sure you know why I'm here."

The Commissioner narrowed his eyes. "You've left law enforcement behind, so leave this to us."

Expecting as much, Madara only tutted quietly. "I've left my work as an officer behind, I do in fact enforce laws of a different sort. That's why it's imperative I be allowed into speak with that lass in the room behind you."

Fugaku widened his stance and squared his shoulders in an attempt to make himself look bigger. Yet Madara had a comfortable head over him.

The hall was unreasonably cold, like someone had gone and turned the thermostat down, but the air around them was humid. "So then you agree? I won't be long," Madara stepped around Fugaku, drawing Kagami's attention their way when he opened the door.

Immediately they began sizing each other up. "None of your usual, Madara," the curly-haired man warned, stepping aside.

The pink-haired girl didn't even look up. "Is this even legal?" she mumbled at the tabletop.

"Yes," he rumbled. "When you're suspected of being involved in connection with a terrorist."

Her head lifted and the curtain of her bangs fell away to reveal green eyes like steel.

"They didn't inform you, Miss Haruno?" Madara took his time sitting down after he'd gotten a good look at the girl and given her a chance to get a good look at him. He could see faint circles beneath her eyes in the bright lights of the cold room, and her long, pastel hair was a bit on the disheveled side, but overall it did little to hide how young she was. How very far over her head.

"They told me they had questions for me, but nothing I could answer," she said, her voice clearer. "What do you mean terrorist? Is my godmother coming?" It wasn't hard to see the girl was getting squirrely. She had been detained, separated from her Summons, her fate squarely in the hands of people she didn't know.

"Yes, you're a minor so there's only so long you could be held. But I intend to make the most of that time." He leaned his elbows against the table and she stared back in apprehension. "I'm Uchiha Madara. Department head of Rare Magic Management at RCMM."

Right before his eyes, she shut herself down, a ball of barely contained agitation. "I already spoke to someone. I told him I wasn't interested…"

She thought he would give her a choice? Madara found himself chuckling. "I'm not like my colleague, Miss Haruno. He makes polite invitations. But I," he gestured to himself, and he could see with his enhanced vision that he had her full attention. Her breath stuttered in her chest, the hard façade gave way to a little fear, and her scent changed, becoming sticky with the first trickling of panic. "I give hard ultimatums."

"Where are the boys?" she demanded, magic crackling quietly.

"Safe for now. They've all been detained just like you, but I believe the Commissioner's decided to question you first. They haven't been as fortunate to be caught up to speed since you were all taken off the roof of that stock trading office."

A visible breath of relief escaped her. It appeared that Haruno Sakura dealt in small victories, because aside from assuring her that her friends were safe, no other information she'd been given was promising news for them.

"I'm sure you're aware by now why you've been approached. Your Summoning magic—"

"I'm pretty sure whatever you're about to say I've already heard." She smiled thinly, bite in her tone.

"Have you heard that you're harboring a living weapon who is, by all intents and purposes, confiscatable evidence that could be collected to aid in an ongoing investigation?"

Haruno Sakura's face morphed into open disbelief. "A living weapon…do you mean _Sai_?" Her knuckles were white as her hands clenched the edges of the table and her lips pursed tight when she recovered from her surprise.

Madara placed his head into his palm and crossed his legs beneath the table, enjoying seeing the gears turn in her head. She was as quick to analyze as he'd heard, which would make her an indisputable asset once that was honed and put to good use. "Sai, as you call him, once belonged to what we believe to be a very extensive underground organization run off the Compeller ideology. I'm sure you've heard about what they are."

She nodded with a hard frown. "Of course," she scoffed. "Not everyone can establish a natural contract with a Summon, and that ability's been coveted for a long time. So some people dedicate their lives to creating dark spellwork that allows them to force a connection that attempts to mimic a Summoner and Summon relationship, but with none of the symbiosis. It's inhumane, strips Summons of autonomy, and outlawed to practice in pretty much all of the five nations and lots of small sovereign countries."

Madara hummed in assessment. Compeller magic and its illegality may have been common knowledge to the general population, but she had articulated why quite well. Book smart. The girl did her reading. "Doesn't stop the great temptation of rare power from drawing those out willing to risk it." Now that he had her full attention, he gauged her reaction again. A determined expression had cleared away the shock and the fear. And the girl left behind was suddenly far more intriguing than the one she'd been when he entered the room; he could see it now. He could see why not just her powers, but Haruno Sakura herself, was so worth watching to so many people. "As a private citizen you shouldn't ever have really gotten involved, you know."

"And _you know_ if you've been watching me as closely as I'm sure you have," she retorted, "That I didn't do anything. Sai came to me."

"Yet you made no effort to come forward and confide in the RCMM, even suspecting that something might be amiss."

The twitch in her eye brought attention to a vein he could see near her temple that had thickened. ' _Hiding a nasty temper, eh?_ '

"I may not like the way he came into my life, but Sai's my partner. It's worked out." Sakura said with finality.

"A Summoner doesn't function well without their partner once the connection takes." He reminded lightly, something that didn't escape her notice.

"You're…how is that legal?!" she gasped. "Sai's not only voiceless in the eyes of the law, but you'd do something as cruel as taking him away just because—"

"That would only be the beginning," Madara grinned. "I seem to remember you have two more Summons,"

She quieted, but her green eyes did all the speaking for her. They had become so dark that they were like drops of a dangerous poison. Gleaming with the promise of lethality. Madara had never seen a member of the Fae Folk look so intense. He would have expected it from a shifter, but this little _fairy_ appeared as if she wanted to latch onto his throat with her teeth and tear it out.

Nonplussed, in fact enjoying himself more than he thought he would, Madara continued, "Uzumaki Naruto. Son of Uzushio's Chief Uzumaki Kushina. Technically speaking the boy was born in Konoha, which makes him a legal Konoha citizen. However even a country's own citizens can be permanently deported if the cause is great enough. And I'd hate to have to force the issue, but assisting you, who as far as we're concerned could still be involved with a suspected terrorist, makes him dangerous enough by proxy to go that route."

"All this to make sure one sixteen-year old complies with whatever you want to force on me," she laughed bitterly, shaking her head. "You really know how to make an offer a girl can't refuse."

"But wait, there's more," he teased. "Now. Your most recent Summon, his true identity being discovered as one previously dead _Prince Gaara_ , was tried and found guilty for the murder of Suna's king and currently pending trial for charges of terrorism on Konoha's soil."

"How'd you know about all that so quickly? If you had knowledge that he was alive and suspected he could be here for nefarious reasons, then it seems like you would've done something sooner. Unless you wanted to let it play out for some reason." She glared accusingly. "Which means you probably already know Gaara has an alibi."

The Uchiha didn't bother to hide how impressed he was, studying her with barely concealed awe. "Miss Haruno, your mind is truly brilliant. Having you help the RCMM is for the betterment of this country."

"Well I've always been told I was too smart for my own good." She shifted some hair away from her neck. "This just confirms it,"

"Being that you're an intelligent young woman, I'm sure you understand what comes next?"

Sakura dipped her head and quirked a brow, feigning innocence. "No, what?"

He could feel the shift in the air even before the door opened, but the minute it did he knew his time with the girl was over. A buxom blond woman sauntered in, visibly livid, a meek dark-haired woman and a cautious man chewing a toothpick right behind her.

The girl didn't do anything in halves. Her guardian would naturally be the world-famous witch Senju Tsunade, who had ended a promising medical career in her prime after the tragic death of her lover. She once headed up the Senju Group's hospitals after her grandfather, but last he'd heard she had retired to pursue a more subdued life off the grid. But like many people of her status, the RCMM kept its eye out. She was the biggest name in crystals and natural remedies, and for good reason.

"Miss Haruno's guardian has arrived," Kagami announced, peering around the door.

Madara stood, his chair scraping across the floor. "We were finishing up anyway. Nice meeting you Miss Haruno."

"I can't say the same." she whispered under her breath.

"Sakura," the woman disregarded him completely in favor of embracing the pinkette in a fierce hug. "What the hell did you get yourself into this time?" she spoke into her hair.

"I don't know." The teenager choked on a sob, gripping the woman back just as tight. "One minute everything was fine, the next minute I'm here…"

The man with them stepped forward to rub Sakura's arm comfortingly. When Madara gave him a quick perusal he realized it was Shiranui Genma, who was a professional bodyguard that often worked for members of the RCMM. Rather high clearance, too. Interesting…

"What the hell is this?" Tsunade was finally ready to go toe to toe, and she wasn't backing down. Madara wouldn't expect any less from Hashirama's granddaughter. "You interrogated her with no guardian or legal representation present? You think just being RCMM makes you exempt from the law?" Her honey brown eyes were stormy and in that moment, she was so angry even a human would have been able to feel the air around her charging with magic and agitation.

"It's perfectly legal, actually." Fugaku rejoined them with a sigh. "You're free to leave with her. I think we've got enough for now. But I can't say the same for the others. Specifically, for Prince Sabaku no Gaara."

Sakura turned in Tsunade's arms so she was facing them. "You're going to put him back on trial even knowing what you know?"

"Pr-Prince Gaara?" the dark-haired woman repeated. "He's…Sakura, you?"

She nodded swiftly. "It's been a strange day…" she said weakly.

Despite the top of Tsunade's head stopping under his chin, she stood tall and undaunted. "The boys are minors, and Sakura's Summons. They're coming with us unless you can give a valid reason why they shouldn't?" The challenge was clear, and this brutish woman wasn't above letting some nasty spells fly.

Fugaku opened his mouth to argue, Madara silenced him with a shake of his head. "Uzumaki Naruto and…the were-cat boy known as Sai we can perhaps negotiate on releasing to you tonight. However, it would be unconscionable to let a suspected terrorist back into the general public when he's such a flight risk. The prince stays."

Sakura wore a look that said she was contemplating doing something unconscionable herself. Her guardian slowly guided her out by the shoulders, following Fugaku and wearing a disgruntled expression that was no better.

Madara kept his eyes trained on the girl as they left. Very soon she would be a promising recruit under his wing, whether she thought so or not.

* * *

They sat as if they suspected nothing, had nothing to hide. But Temari knew better. Among them there was a sand viper who had been slithering through the dunes. She shared a silent nod with Kankuro. No longer. Baki, who had been the captain of the guards for as long as she could remember, escorted her to the podium, stopping short of adjusting her mic for her. That Temari did herself as she made eye contact with each individual in the room.

"You may be wondering why we asked for this meeting so abruptly in the middle of my coronation preparations…" The statement was met by many nods and her audience taking unsure glimpses around the room. "Before I'm ready to address the rest of the world as a queen, I'd like to address everyone here…as a sister." She leaned forward, glad that she was not wearing one of the low cut gowns the seamstresses constantly tried to force her into.

The air was thick, the members of the council, the coroner, executioner and palace physician all giving her undivided attention. "My brother, I believe, was framed. Executed for a crime he didn't commit without a fair trial in a scheme orchestrated to unsettle the nation and usurp power."

Gasps and indignant cries went up through the room.

"Silence!" Baki commanded, and everyone obeyed quickly. Temari cast him a small, grateful smile.

"It's been brought to our attention that news has spread about Gaara's body not taking on the Mark of Shukaku upon death. Who all had heard about that?"

Unsurprisingly, the entirety of the council raised their hands, although abashedly.

"Your Highness," Elder Eiji raised his hand. "If I may…The Mark is how we know a corpse is indeed of the royal line. It only appears on Shukaku's direct lineage. Someone without it…"

"Instead of focusing so much on why the Mark didn't appear," Kankuro cut in with a scowl. "Let's talk about why our direct orders were disobeyed. We received ashes, but not our brother's. Do you have anything to explain about that, Nato-san?"

The executioner shuffled from one foot to the other. "I…I was told that I was following the orders of the prince and princess. That I was to provide ashes of a body double and continue further examining on the supposed remains of Prince Gaara."

"Who told you this?" Temari asked sharply, her nails digging hard into the podium. She stepped back, took a deep breath and then walked around it. "There is a viper among us, and before the end of the day we'll know who!"

"I believe the princess asked you a question," Baki grumbled. "Who asked you to blatantly defile the body of a member of the royal family?"

The coroner stroked his chin, shaking his head as if he were struggling to recall. "I believe it was—"

All hell broke loose, Matsuri's sharp scream shattering the air.

Though Temari saw the flash of scales as grown men jumped away with horrified cries, no one was quick enough to react as the snake reared back, striking the heal of the man who had possibly been about to reveal the treacherous party in their midst.

As he fell to the floor, seizing, Kankuro darted right for him, already calling for someone to bring anti-venom to treat the bite of the dune basilisk. Hearing the name made her cringe. The offshoot was just as deadly as its progenitor, smaller and adapted to live in desert sands, but no less potent in its strike. Her eyes searched high and low for their physician, but he was nowhere to be found.

She snarled, Kankuro finally able to send someone else running for the antidote. Whether or not he would return in time was anyone's guess. _'So that's his game?'_

Matsuri's father was trying to haul her out of the room, much to her protest, other councilmen fleeing right alongside them. It was Elder Ebizo, though, who drew a tentative calm back into the space by getting on a table and letting out a piercing whistle his old lungs shouldn't have been able to release.

Calmly, he raised one hand, a patient smile on his face. "I hope you don't mind this old man taking the floor for a minute, Your Majesty." He said it as if the immediate concern wasn't the man dying fast before they could get answers on what he knew.

"Prince Gaara does indeed live."

More outraged cries.

"And in fact he has been found and captured in Konoha. I've just received word."

"When?" someone yelled.

"From who?" someone else cried, a question Temari would have liked answered as well. She had not seen him leave. When had he made it to the briefing room and back?

"No matter," he flapped his arm, chasing away all less relevant concerns. "He is being transported here, to arrive tomorrow and stand trial properly this time. Konoha will be watching."

"How does this change the outcome from last time?" Matsuri's father asked. "Even if Prince Gaara is innocent, we have made a mockery of proceedings in hastily sentencing."

"Well now that'll be for you all to sort out, won't it?" Ebizo chuckled. "I just thought you'd like to be forewarned. His Summoner is also in tow."

Kankuro had long since stopped fussing over the coroner. Just as well, as the antidote was nowhere in sight and he was on his last gasps.

" _Summoner_?" she repeated. Temari reached for balance at the podium, oxygen punched from her chest.

* * *

Traveling home felt pointless. As much as she'd hated that cold interrogation room, they might as well have left her there. Sakura hunched in on herself under the sheets, unable to get warm, even with the two furry bodies draped around hers. Since reuniting, Naruto and Sai had refused to leave her side, insisting they keep guard through the night.

But near death experience or not, she refused to have two potentially handsy boys in her bed; so they compromised, shifting into their animal forms. It worked out better that way, she figured, since they could sniff at her to their hearts' content and seemed intent on doing so.

And Naruto's tails were just as luxuriously soft as she'd imagined, but being wrapped in them was hard to enjoy when her mind was full of a certain tanuki who remained in custody. She felt his absence acutely, their still developing bond reaching out for him and coming up short. Too far. He was too far.

Sensing the beginning of her discomfort, Naruto rested his head on her shoulder, his quiet panting making warm puffs on her cheek. Absently, she reached back and stroked his head. Sai stirred where he had placed himself across her hip, his long tail tapping periodically on her ankle. Despite reservations she would have had not long ago, Sakura felt a new sense of solidarity with them now. All of them.

Crazy to think about, because before encountering Gaara on that rooftop, it had felt like her magic was truly stabilizing, having found a new Summon in Naruto. The desperate plea she'd had for Gaara was just that, something she wasn't even sure would work.

But it had.

The magic took, the connection formed, and now it felt odd that she'd ever been okay without it. For the night, they would both be uncomfortable, but they could cope. In the long-term, if they didn't have a chance to let the connection finish running its course, Sakura imagined the pain she'd felt when it was just Sai would be a dull throb in comparison to an unfinished Summoning bond ripping through her in search of something that wasn't there.

That feeling three-fold would kill her. That man, Uchiha Madara, knew that. But he still threatened to rip all three boys away from her if she didn't comply. There was no more chance at an obscure existence where she lived out her teenage years, maybe even _with_ Summoning included, but relatively free. Starting tomorrow, she would have to viciously fight for her freedom. Not only hers, either. Glancing down the bed, she met Sai's eyes, shining in the dark with his night-vision.

' _You're not going back to captivity.'_ She thought at him. Naruto's breathing had evened out, which was a small relief that at least one of them was getting a decent rest. ' _I promised Gaara he could live for me…_ ' That meant doing everything in her power to make sure he could live at all.

* * *

Transportation to the tarmac in every magical restraint possible, strapped into an armored vehicle was about as relaxing as one could imagine. The driver said nothing. The guards said nothing. Gaara, of course, said nothing.

He had been in chains before. Up until the break out orchestrated by his family following his supposed death, he had been hidden in a secret labyrinth of catacombs underneath the estate, chained like a dog in his tanuki form.

The hope had been when he returned home, _if_ he returned home, it wouldn't be in shackles again. Wishful thinking, really. Even without the weighted metal inscribed with runes that hung on his wrists, legs and around his neck, Gaara had spent his life shackled in some way or another.

Coming in contact with that Summoner girl, hearing her say those words, was the closest he had ever been to an unobstructed view of the sky. As if his cage had been opened and for those fleeting moments freedom flowed into him with the gift of his Limiter.

Ironic, he thought wryly. A Limiter was just what it sounded like after all. It was limiting. In exchange for the new powers a Summoning bond granted him, he needed her permission to unleash them. His innate tanuki magic may always be freely accessible—under normal circumstances—but he wouldn't have the new power without her, so it made sense that she was the key to using it.

However, nothing about that knowledge troubled him, or even angered him. Something about her told him she wouldn't abuse it, the connection they now had. He had been prompted to let his guard down long enough for the bond to form in the first place. For his sand to retreat.

They started up a steep incline and Gaara was pushed deep into the solid back of his seat. His skin itched, his molecules jumping around as parts of him instinctively attempted to shift to sand, but the runes held him together. He couldn't move so much as a granule out of place.

With his enhanced hearing, he heard the driver radioing ahead, to say that he, the package, was almost there. Gaara closed his eyes, leaned back. Yes, he could feel it. The closer they got to their destination, the more his agitation settled, because he could feel Summoning bond relax.

The vehicle came to a slow halt. Gaara was pulled out by his arm, and he barely resisted the urge to snarl over being touched, but when his pupils dilated and he saw his new Summoner exiting her own escort vehicle and stepping onto the tarmac, his blood settled.

She was dressed modestly, a pressed mint green blouse, a black skirt with three shiny silver buttons on the side that stopped slightly above the knee, her long hair brushed to a shine. Her eyes were alert, yet he could see she hadn't slept well. Feel it, more like.

The fox and the cat were at her sides, both of them dressed in buttoned shirts and slacks as well. Not long ago he would have wanted to lunge, to fight them off. While possession compelled him closer, it was tamed compared to what it had been, and he could grudgingly accept the other two in her space and his.

A faint breeze rippled over them, carrying some mix of wildflowers and exhaust fuel to them. As far as private airports went, the compound was nothing special. A rectangular run way cut smack in the middle of a well-groomed field with what was likely the control tower off in the distance and a steel warehouse of some kind beyond that.

Guided by imposing men in dark suits, she walked forward with her small entourage at her back. How different they were, how symbolically unbalanced. When she got close enough her eyes darted up and down the length of him, a precursory check of his wellbeing? Gaara wasn't used to the idea that someone outside his siblings would freely care about how he was doing. It would take time to relearn that compassion could come without strings attached.

"How long's this flight gonna be?" the blonde fox asked, peering over at the jet that would fly them to Suna.

"Approximately four hours." A gruff agent responded, hustling everyone toward the loading zone. This time, there was no arm on his shoulder shoving him forward, so Gaara filed in as if he weren't currently the prisoner of at least one nation. Sakura slowed down, nodding at the blonde woman who had come with her and the others. He realized she was purposely falling back. "I've…never been to Suna," she said awkwardly.

Huffing under his breath, he played along, able to sense her nerves as if they were his own. "You've picked the wrong circumstances to make your first trip."

"Probably," she agreed. They paused just before fully entering the aircraft. "But this is important."

The same resolve that had made him drop his guard on the rooftop found its way back into her eyes. Then they were shouldered in and told to take seats.

"Can you…can you take all those off?" Sakura asked the first agent she got the attention of. She pointed to his bindings.

As if in a movie, the man had slicked hair and shades covering his eyes, but Gaara saw them shift up as he raised a suspicious brow. "Ma'am, he's—"

"I know," she hurried to say. "But he won't be a problem. It," she pointed at his chains again. "Won't be a problem."

Sakura kept staring until the agent shifted in discomfort. With nothing more than a steadfast look, she had managed to make a heavily armed grown man squirm. Muttering under his breath, he reached for a walkie-talkie clipped to his utility belt. "Permission to unchain the prisoner until touch down?"

The voice on the other end sputtered in disbelief. Gaara waited between the guards at his back and Sakura to see how it would play out.

The frantic exchange was a volley of words back and forth that everyone was listening to attentively. Finally, the agent who had initiated the conversation spat a clipped "Copy," into his end and slid the walkie home. A lowly spoken incantation later and the metal around his extremities suddenly wasn't as heavy.

Sakura watched on in satisfaction as each piece was removed, Gaara staring at his freed hands and legs as he took his aisle seat. Sakura only had to move for the seat across from him and the rambunctious fox who had been animatedly scolded the were-jaguar all but dove into the window seat that was the companion of her aisle spot. Unperturbed, she rolled her eyes. "Naruto, seriously, it's just a seat."

Naruto—the fox's parents had a sense of humor—crinkled his nose and folded his arms. "I'm supposed to sit next to Sai the whole way?" The dark head of hair belonging to said shapeshifter popped up behind Sakura's seat.

"I'd prefer you didn't actually." he supplied. "You're not overly familiar with the concept of personal space."

"Hah!" Naruto half-turned in his seat despite his seatbelt, "If irony was a fist you'd be getting punched in the face right now!"

The bickering continued, the blonde woman eventually moving toward the back of the plane with a lowly spoken complaint to herself.

Sakura, even sitting right next to them, looked to be on the verge of nodding off. "You're too used to getting your way." He told her when they'd all settled and the plane rumbled, preparing for takeoff.

"On the contrary, lately nothing goes my way," she mumbled. "Trust me."

Gaara let that sink in. That meant that between the two of them, their odds of making it through were dismal at best.

* * *

Sakura desperately wanted some headphones and an inflight movie. By her estimation they couldn't be more than an hour into the trip, and Naruto was not letting up. Not on the fact that he'd had to get up at the crack of dawn. Not on the issue of Sai sitting behind him, passing odd comments, and not about the newest addition to their team, either.

"We're both yokai," he was saying to Gaara, leaning across her to do so, "But to be honest I haven't really met a lot of tanuki before. Just you, actually." He did his best to sniff at Gaara from across the aisle. Noticing their newest partner wasn't doing the same, he paused with a bewildered frown. "Oh, s-sorry…" the blonde rubbed at his cheek. "Did you want first sniff?"

"What a waste of time." The tanuki said, as uninterested in the prospect as she would've expected.

"Ugh!" he gasped, "Sakura-chan, you've gotta start choosing Summons a lot more carefully."

The pinkette watched him get pouty, amused. The kitsune was forever sociable, easily offended when his eagerness wasn't returned in kind. If his clashes with Sai were any indication, then it was going to be an uphill battle to get the blonde and her new redheaded Summon to play nicely together. Although, Gaara might just as soon ignore Naruto, whereas Sai's every word was antagonistic.

"Naruto," she placed her cheek against her palm, glancing at the surly Sunan prince. "Give him space. This is sort of a high-stress situation in case you haven't noticed." She rubbed at her eyes, which felt heavier by the minute in the cool interior of the cabin.

"That's why I'm trying to be welcoming," Naruto explained. Faced with the realization that Gaara was not in the mood for casual chatter, he leaned back into his own seat, grumbling, "But this one's got a stick up his ass too."

"You're entirely too open." Gaara surprised them both by saying. "Not every ally is a friend."

"He speaks in _riddles_ , too?" Naruto threw up his arms, disgusted. "Can't wait to see what other weird things he does. But if he's as bad as Sai, I'm moving into your room."

"No," Sakura deadpanned. "You're definitely not." Cuddling up together for comfort every blue moon when Naruto was a fox, she could handle. But the last thing she wanted to do was make a habit out of it, one where he became more and more comfortable with the idea of staying human while lying beside her.

"Close quarters foster a sense of familiarity and friendship," Sai supplied from behind them. "Roommates are a very popular topic in many forums, and sometimes those living situations can even lead to roma—"

"I'm going to stop you right there," Sakura leaned back against her headrest, "because if I didn't know better it'd sound like you've been on a fanfiction forum…when did you even get access to a computer?"

There was an audible pause as Sai thought. "At the library. Was that not allowed? The librarian explained the computers could be used for research purposes, and I was exploring different interpersonal relationships…"

"It's fine…" Sakura assured him, not really knowing if she meant it. Sai was still so impressionable, and he took everything he learned at face value. It was going to continue to be a problem. "I'm going to curate the information you take in a lot more carefully from now on, though. If you want books about socializing with people I can help you pick some out."

"Or," Naruto drawled. "We could start squirting him in the face with a water bottle every time he goes a little too deep into creep territory." Sakura glared sharply at her fox Summon who shrugged innocently. "It worked in that one movie…" he defended.

Sai wasn't as put off by the suggestion as she'd have thought. "I'm open to any feedback you'd be willing to provide, Naruto-kun." Without even turning around she knew his practiced smile was in place.

"…Binding myself to you means binding myself to this?" Gaara asked quietly.

Grinning sweetly, she crossed her legs comfortably. "Sorry that's just dawning on you."

He turned away from her, from all of them, apparently having had his fill of nonsense.

Sakura closed one eyelid, then the other, Naruto and Sai's voices droning on in the background. They'd practically be facing a firing squad when they landed, but maybe if even briefly, she could find a break in sleep.


	19. An Exercise in Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura meets the royal family, and despite having had very little time to acclimate herself to the situation, learns she must rally with them to save Gaara.

The bumpy landing woke her up right away. Sakura let her eyes open slowly, blinking away the last dregs of exhaustion as she stared out the window at what was clearly a desert landscape. They had arrived in Suna, thanks to the invention of modern technology that made crossing two countries a mid-morning trip at best.

The pilot came over the intercom, making it known they had arrived as if the scenery outside the windows didn't make that obvious. Naruto stretched with a loud groan. "So this is Suna, huh?" He gave Gaara a surreptitious glance. "Yep. It's fitting."

Just as before, it didn't get any notable reaction. Sakura was hoping that meant Gaara, despite everything, would be another cool head to add to the dynamic. One of the security officers slid from his seat before the plane had even fully slid into the hangar, holding out the impressive magical cuffs. "We're going to need to place these back on before you can exit."

Without a word her new Summon let them put him in chains again, making Sakura look away. Hopefully after the fiasco they were about to face was said and done, it would no longer be necessary. Tsunade joined them from her spot near the back of the plane, and they exited with the intimidating group of armed men and women.

Sakura's mind was a flurry of emotions. They had explained there would be a lawyer who would meet them before the trial began tomorrow, but the man waiting for them when they stepped outside the aircraft with guards of his own wasn't at all what she'd been imagining.

Young, average height, with messy brown hair and comfortable robes, he stepped forward and sized up each of them carefully. When his eyes met the redhead's, his lips pulled into a grin. "Gaara!"

' _Okay…so not an enemy then?_ ' Sakura wondered as the tanuki allowed himself to be embraced. She'd had the feeling that their rooftop encounter was a special circumstance and he wasn't generally one to be touchy-feely. It was possible she just didn't know him well enough yet though, because the man that had grabbed him in a hug wasn't being pushed away.

"Man," he stepped back with a sigh. "Is it ever good to see you again! You know, you had us worried there. And so much shit has gone do—" Seeming to realize they weren't alone, he cleared his throat. "It can wait. I'm just glad you're home, little brother."

"Brother?" Sakura's curiosity piqued, and suddenly the security with him made sense. There was also the faintest resemblance, though the distinctions between them were pronounced enough to wonder if they each took after separate parents.

Her voice drew his attention, and what had been an eager, boyish smile was suddenly full of flirtatious interest. "Ah, _you're_ Gaara's new Summoner?" He reached a hand forward, and still slightly bewildered she took it.

"Y-Yes?"

Prince Kankuro appraised her with reverent eyes. "So you're the one, huh?" he repeated. "Thank you for saving my brother."

Sakura let her eyes slide to the redhead in question. "Don't thank me so soon…"

Kankuro sobered, letting go of her hand. "Right. Still a lot of work we need to do," Turning to his brother, he scratched at his scalp. "Sorry Temari's not here. She wanted to be, but well, you know how it is…someone had to stay back at the palace."

Gaara inclined his head slightly.

Naruto shook his head, yipping quietly. "I still can't get over this guy being a prince even when proof's right in front of me. But I mean, he's about as prickly as a cactus so the only place that makes sense is a desert kingdom anyway."

To further the embarrassment, Sai casually leaned into Gaara's personal space, studying him as one might an abstract piece of art. "His skin's texture isn't particularly unusual. Is this another figurative saying?"

Sakura closed her eyes, breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth. When it was all said and done she still had so much work to do with each of them individually, Sai's ignorance to social nuances topping the list.

"Apologies," One of the guards who had rechained Gaara stated stoically. "But our transport is waiting."

Sakura's shoulders slumped forward, Tsunade rubbing her back supportively.

"Fine," Kankuro grunted. "Let's get a move on,"

Gaara was taken off first, still weighted down by lengths of heavy chains. His cool eyes met hers briefly, and she couldn't get over how composed he appeared. His life was literally on the line! But outwardly at least, he remained stoic and unruffled. She could almost assume the guards were just going to bring him to a quiet brunch.

Sakura shivered, despite the sun beating down brightly on them. If anything she needed to find the nearest store and invest in the strongest sunblock available, or maybe just have Tsunade whip up something natural.

Nevertheless, the heat didn't stop the cold fear that she would make a mistake and land them all in even more danger. Gaara was certainly placing his trust in her. He had to, as she was now bound to him through the sanctity of magic older than all of them combined.

As she followed her guardian and the their escorts to the separate armored vehicle they'd be taking, Sakura swore by that magic that she would do her part to fix things. They would go home. Together.

* * *

Of all the humiliations he expected to suffer, never had he dreamed of being _muzzled_.

While he'd been dealing with the bestial side of his nature becoming increasingly unstable for a while, normally he wouldn't resort to biting anyone. Except the pat down felt just a little too thorough, and out of instinct he'd bared his teeth and glowered dangerously at the officer.

That apparently had been threatening enough to warrant them bringing out the muzzle. The device appeared to be an ordinary ball gag, but when they slapped it against his lips it expanded to encompass the entire lower half of his face, locking at the nape of his neck.

Gaara heard the heavy door swing shut, and knew that he was trapped in the device indefinitely. Shuffling his legs, he leaned back against the wall of his cell, thinking about the past day and a half of events. He was growing tired of being incarcerated. Being on the run provided more freedom.

There was, of course, one major difference in his predicament, besides the amount of mobility he was afforded. He'd been on his own while in hiding, expecting any day he would have to sacrifice himself before he could be saved. Now, whether he wanted it or not, he had more people than ever by his side. Namely, one very stubborn fae.

Gaara couldn't help but wonder if she regretted their encounter. She was just as bound to him as he was to her. For her, seeking out a Summon with less baggage would have been the best option. And she already had two. It hadn't dawned on him before, but that alone meant Sakura was exceedingly rare.

Maybe pity had moved her to take him on, but…time would tell if she found him worth keeping at her side. The manacles covered part of it, but he was still able to see the red leather of his Limiter under the tight, chafing magical metal.

The connection was dampened maybe, but no restraint, magical or otherwise, was going to sever it so easily. Regardless of whether she felt his presence, he sensed hers. She wasn't close, probably miles away, but Gaara shifted around in discomfort at her anxiety leaking through the new bond. Didn't she know she was projecting, how annoying it was going to be for him to sit and feel what she felt with no way to tune it out? The low growl that escaped him echoed in the mostly empty space.

"Quiet in there!" Someone barked from outside his door. "If we need to come in there I'll be making a report about you being violent in custody."

To think he was on his own kingdom's soil and being threatened… It wasn't a great surprise, though. Gaara knew the people of Suna had been wary of him for years. That wasn't something that could easily be undone, especially now when he was the supposed murderer of their late king.

"You'll be meeting the lawyer appointed to you tomorrow. Heard it's someone your sister pulled strings to get on short notice, so good news for you I guess." The guard outside grunted.

Gaara stared down at his shackles. Staying up with no sleep was nothing new, but in this condition it was going to be more unpleasant than usual. And he had that silly girl's feelings buzzing in his head.

Leaning back, the prince managed to swing his legs up onto the cot. Being on the run had its perks.

* * *

As was customary every time he found himself in a brand new location, Sai mentally ran a perimeter check. Among the staff of their lavish accommodations, armed guards from palace security hid in disguise. He, along with his Summoner, her guardian and the rambunctious kitsune, had been brought to stay at a hotel Prince Kankuro assured them was one of the finest.

Not that anyone could doubt that. The large sink top in the bathroom he'd found was a rare obsidian marble, the mahogany cabinets sporting pure silver handles. Tsunade had been impressed by the tank-sized walk in shower, going on about pulsating showerheads, whatever that meant. Naruto peered into the shiny alabaster bathtub and whistled over its depth, commenting that he could fill it with ramen and swim in it.

The room had a space twice as large as the living room at the cabin they lived in, complete with a fully stocked kitchenette, more rare marbling on the island counter, an attached fish tank built underneath filled with all sorts of exotic marine life, and shiny leather furniture situations in front of a large television.

The bedroom area was separate, soft mattresses covered in sheets with high thread counts tucked in just so, and candy arrangements piled on the pillows. It connected to a terrace with a generous view of the heart of the humid city.

While he wasn't accustomed to luxury during his time serving Compellers, he recognized it when he was surrounded by it. All it meant for him was more space to familiarize himself with.

Taking note of the most strategic routes to escape and going through the best fighting tactics for close quarters should it be necessary made him feel less restless.

Several times his master has already turned to him questioningly, likely feeling his apprehension through the bond. In turn, he felt her worry. For the tanuki no doubt. It was still miraculous. Sai would have never thought he'd bind himself to an anchor strong enough not only support him, but two other powerful yokai.

Currently though, instead of a teenage girl of considerable power, his Summoner looked more like a teenage girl, weary from travel. Her pink hair was somewhat messy, flyaways full of static. She slung an arm over the back of the seat and sighed.

Naruto popped up near the back of the couch she was sitting on, face uncomfortably close to her own. She swatted at him lazily, but he only took the opportunity to sniff the hand used to shoo at him. "You don't smell sick." A wavering, relieved grin briefly surfaced. "That's good. You're probably just tired then."

"None of us brought any luggage." Sakura reminded him. "This was supposed to be a one day trip where they'd tell us when the trial date would be set and we'd meet the attorney representing Gaara. But now they're saying it's going to be expedited." She took a glance at her Evoker, the colors of the bloodstone swirling under the room's lighting.

The sound of the refrigerator closing was clear in the quiet that followed, and Tsunade straightened, drinks in hand. "I can understand the sentiment," she said, "I'll have to ask Shizune and Genma to stay at my shop and cover it." Sai watched a can of juice fly through the air from the toss, and Sakura fumbled to catch it in her distraction. "But one thing I know we shouldn't be worried about is clothes. Push comes to shove I could spell something up for us," The older woman plopped herself down on the free space of the couch and rolled her shoulders, getting comfortable. "I doubt it'll be necessary though. You're basically a Royal Summoner now. Don't expect any expense to be spared."

Naruto looked up, eyes bright and quizzical. "Uh, Royal Summoner? Y-You mean Sakura-chan's royalty now just cause Gaara is?"

"Becoming a Royal Summoner is a high honor here and in kingdoms elsewhere," Sai mulled it over as he walked to join where the others had congregated.

His master looked up at him with interest. "So you know about it then?" She popped the tab on her drink and took a few long sips.

He nodded, figuring that now that he was in her service, it was alright to tell her all the information he'd memorized. "While I was with my former master, it was important that all operatives study details about other cultures and countries, in the case that we were ever sent to infiltrate them."

The witch cocked her head back after taking a long pull of her drink. "Espionage, eh? Standard fair for Compellers."

There were a lot of dark skills standard fair for Compellers to expect of their Summons. Many of which Sai had mastered long before he had a true name or a master with a conscience. As such, he wasn't sure exactly how much of what he'd learned would actually serve his new master well. After all, what had been one of the most essential skills before, killing, Naruto had pointed out would greatly upset Sakura.

"So being a Royal Summoner, what's that really mean?" But she was looking up with big, curious eyes. Telling her what he knew certainly wouldn't do her harm.

Sai stroked his chin in thought. "Occasionally members of a royal family may require a Summoner of their own. Special accommodations are made, and a Summoner may remain in the kingdom as a consort to keep the close physical proximity. At other times a royal may step aside from the throne of succession to become a private citizen and better keep their Summoner's lifestyle. Though a Royal Summoner keeps their title as long as they keep their royal-blooded Summon. When that occurs it's usually a bloodline that doesn't take well to just any match. You being compatible with Prince Gaara under normal circumstances would be a celebrated match."

"He's right," Tsunade agreed, crossing her legs and sinking further back in her seat. "The Sunan royal family had been looking for a suitable Summoner for a while I hear. They brought in some of the world's oldest lines that have produced Summoners in the past. But no matches. Then efforts got quiet a year and a half ago." The witch had a thoughtful squint to her cinnamon eyes. "It's crazy that out of the blue you'd be the one to run into him and the connection would take."

"Don't remind me." The young fae rubbed at her temples with a groan. "It's not his fault, but I'm not really relishing this situation. I don't see it getting better for a while but I'm at least hoping it won't be getting worse."

Three strong knocks came at the door, and Sai's eyes zeroed in on the entrance, sniffing the air.

Tsunade stood with a stretch, her back popping. "It's a little too early for room service…" She peered through the hole and then tossed a smirk over her shoulder, specifically at a wide-eyed blonde kitsune. "Heh. This ought to be good."

The smell got even stronger when she tossed the door open, and Sai could identify that the reason he recognized the scents of the people at the door was because he'd met them before, however briefly. Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato. "That was quicker than expected, I suppose flying private helps."

Naruto pointed a quivering finger, his face pale. "You called my parents?!" he screeched.

Kushina was not amused, marching up to her son with steel in her eyes and fiery hair ignited. "You'd better be glad she did!" she hissed. "You don't want to know what would've happened to you if we'd found out about all this when we _saw your face on TV_ , 'ttebane!"

Cowed, and evidently with no recourse, the young fox bowed his head in humility, shoulders slumped with defeat. "M-Mom…Dad…I'm sorry. I bet you were probably freaked out."

Minato took a deep breath, closing his eyes tightly and then opening them on an exhale to reveal stormy sea blue irises awash in resignation and disappointment. "You could say that. Naruto, we had a list of reasons we assumed we'd be getting calls from Tsunade. We thought you'd mouth off a little too much."

"Or cause property damage," Kushina cut in.

"Run up an outrageous bill with that appetite of yours,"

"Take pranks just a little too far,"

"Maybe break a bo—"

"I get it already!" Naruto put up his hands, eyes desperate. "You guys thought I'd screw up sooner or later," he grumbled.

"No, it's not about screwing up." Sai watched curiously as the blonde man's eyes softened. "We just…understand how hard it can be for you to avoid trouble sometimes."

Naruto's mother seemed to wholeheartedly agree, cupping her cheek with a wry little smile. "You take after me in more ways than I care to admit at times like these. We're kitsune," The redhead winked. "Mischief is in our blood."

Now that she had mentioned it, Sai took note of the fact that while the older blonde male was covered in the scent of fox—which only made sense when he was mated to one—his own scent was not that of a shifter at all. Nor that of a human. Instead he smelt of sunshine and a spring wind, evidence of some elemental entity.

"We just never thought the trouble you'd find would be so…serious," Minato explained. "You were _taken in for questioning_ by the RCMM?" Here he paused to stare between Naruto and his mostly silent Summoner.

"They're going to have to answer for that," Kushina growled, eyes aglow with menace. "But now, you have to testify in a trial for a crown prince."

"I…It's my fault," Suddenly his master had hopped up and was shouldering her way past him to stand beside Naruto. He perked up at her touch, a reassuring hand wrapped around his bicep. Sai blinked. He had always been best at observing, so that was what he had resolved himself to do. Of course, it was possible that since everyone was showing remorse, he needed to as well. Picking up on nuances in these situations had never been trickier. "I didn't mean to drag Naruto into anything like this. It was…really irresponsible of me." She bowed from the waist, her silken pink hair sweeping over her face and hanging to her knees.

Tsunade watched with a helpless frown and the couple traded looks over the pinkette's head. Sai remained tense, in case he had to act. It was unlikely that either of the adults posed an actual threat to his master, but he could never be too careful.

"Sakura, we…" Minato placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We're not blaming you for all this madness," Kushina clarified. "We just wish you'd both been more careful. Although, with the RCMM being the way it's always been it was probably only a matter of time…"

"They're known for being relentless," Minato explained, stepping back. "We're just glad to see everyone safe, and we'll be staying through the trial."

"Wait, who's running the island?" Naruto gaped. "K-Karin?"

"Partially," Kushina giggled, "She has Mito there for council. It won't sink into the ocean before we get back."

Naruto turned away, grumbling to himself.

Minato gave his son a knowing stare. "You're going to have to reconcile yourself with the idea that your cousin will be ruler one day. I know Karin's…difficult to handle at times but she's got the right head for ruling. Or would you rather the responsibility fall to you?"

The thought was apparently so appalling it made Naruto cringe. "I'm fine where I am. Being Sakura-chan's Summon is where I'm supposed to be."

"Had a feeling you'd say that." His mother smirked. "Now that all that's sorted. Sakura, would you mind if we borrowed Naruto for a bit. They barely served anything on the plane and I think this would be a good time for us to take Naruto so you can talk to Tsunade."

The young kitsune shook his head, ready to argue with his mother. The redheaded vixen wasn't having it, her purple eyes flashing with something…ominous as she dragged a complaining Naruto out of the room by his arm.

Minato waved quietly, "Thank you for taking care of Naruto for us," he told them, following after his family.

The Uzushians left a strange sort of silence in their wake, and Sai turned his attention to his Summoner and her mentor, wondering if he was expected to leave the room too. Surely they couldn't want him far when they were still in unfamiliar territory.

It didn't matter how many guards Prince Kankuro had stationed around the hotel, they were not Sakura's sword and shield. That duty fell to only three individuals and he was one of them. If she required him at a moment's notice, he would be there.

The two women turned to him, and the witch shook her head. "It'd be a waste of time asking you to leave with the way you're glued to Sakura." She turned to the fretful pinkette. "It's your call."

His master came forward, stopping directly in front of him and peering up into her eyes. Evoker on her wrist, and standing so close together, her emotions practically ricocheted right into him. "This has been crazy ever since it started. And maybe some of that's your fault," Her eyes narrowed in a glare but a sincere smile tugged her lips up. "But you haven't gone anywhere, for better or for worse."

"As long as you allow it, I'll be wherever you are." If she had ever doubted his devotion, she couldn't now. Their link telecasted his loyalty.

"He can stay," She told her watchful mentor. "Sooner or later we'll have to fill Naruto in anyway, this makes it one less person."

Tsunade slouched against a wall and crossed her feet at the ankles. "Listen Sakura, I'm not doubting for a second you did what you felt was right. I trust your judgement." The admission softened his master's face.

The witch's approval clearly meant a great deal to her. But Sai could hardly judge her for wanting it. Since binding himself again, he found he too sought to know that his master was pleased with him.

Struggling through the handicap of his stunted emotions, it was…difficult to avoid agitating her. The fuse to her temper wasn't long. But when he was rewarded with bright eyes and brighter smiles, or a remark of praise, it was strong motivation.

"I won't lie to you, this is a tricky situation." Tsunade explained, lowering her voice. "Put bluntly, if they're determined to frame the prince then they're going to throw everything they can at doing that in this trial."

"I gathered as much." Sakura admitted, anxiety clear in her voice. "To cover up that this only got this out of hand because they weren't vigilant enough."

"You're his Summoner now," The blonde woman went on, "and I'm afraid that could mean you'll be another pawn to maneuver for them."

"I can't just leave Gaara to fend for himself, though. I mean…his life is tied to mine now." She pressed her face into shaking palms before her head shot up and they could see the ferocity in the green depths of her eyes. " _I_ did that, so I have to help him fight for it."

"I had a feeling you'd say that," Tsunade smirked. "Just don't be surprised if we get an angry phone call from your mother,"

"My mom knows?" Sakura groaned. Sai remembered their encounter with the couple at the hospital. While he couldn't remember his own parents, he had witnessed enough interactions between parents and children on his missions to know all kinds existed. And his master, it seemed, had a very strained relationship with hers.

"I'm sorry," Tsunade came away from the wall and toward Sakura, gently hugging her. "But I couldn't avoid telling her when you got pulled into custody."

Sakura said some muffled words into the woman's shoulder. "Mwo iss naw your fwal…" Stepping away, she put on a brave face. "I'll deal with it like I always do. Right now I need to prepare myself for this trial."

"Are you going to see the prince?" Sai found himself asking. He knew from experience wherever the tanuki had been taken, it wasn't a comfortable place. Prince or no, his royal status wouldn't prevent him from receiving the treatment most international criminals did. His master's soft heart would probably crack even more over the conditions.

"Yes, tomorrow," Sakura stared meaningfully down at her Evoker. "We'll meet the lawyer then too."

She fully intended to go through with it, and there was definitely no changing her mind. Suggesting she not do it would only anger her. He was her sword and shield, but Sai wasn't entirely confident in his ability to be that for her in the days to come. Physical protection he could provide, but she'd probably need the emotional support she would be better off getting from Naruto.

"We should eat a meal," Tsunade suggested. "It'd probably be too much to ask for a ritzy place like this to give me a nice helping of sake this early though…"

"Like I'd let you day drink at a time like this," Sakura scolded.

"Well," the woman's shoulders lifted, "It was worth a shot."

* * *

She hadn't been in the building for very long, but Sakura already had the overwhelming urge to locate Gaara and go. The very air felt as though it were clinging to her, trying to urge her to confess some heinous crime. She was having a hard time telling if the atmosphere was so suffocating or if, perhaps, some spell had been fused into the building to coerce answers prisoners might not otherwise be inclined to give.

' _That'd be illegal_ ,' she reminded herself. Shortly afterward a clipped bark of laughter from the voice in her head at the naiveté of her thoughts made her flinch. The law was ironically not above borderline "illegal" when it suited them.

"Here we are," The escort in front of her, a man with powerful wings tucked close to his back, unlocked a very dismal, gray holding room. Sakura shuffled in, glancing back where Tsunade, Sai and Naruto had stopped.

Rules dictated she and the legal representation were the only ones allowed in when _the accused_ was brought from his cell. Sakura would have thought she and Gaara being minors would have allowed for at least one of them to have a legal guardian. The door slamming shut behind her told her all she needed to know. Making her way to the metal table bearing countless knicks, claw marks and dings, made her wonder exactly what had happened during past meetings.

Then again she was likely better off not knowing. No sooner had she sat in the cold chair provided, then the door swung up again, Gaara being dragged inside this time. Her eyes immediately zeroed in on his face, to the muzzle he definitely hadn't been accessorizing with the last time she'd seen him. The chains were still on too, and it was a wonder he was still staying upright with the weight of them.

She glared when the redhead was all but shoved into his seat. "Is that really necessary. This meeting might be kind of hard if he can't speak." Sighing, as if it was the greatest hindrance, a female guard leaned down and unlatched the device.

It shrunk into a small round gag, and the disgruntled prince reared his head back and spit it onto the table. All eyes watched it roll across the metal in its retracted form before falling innocently to the floor.

"We'll be staying until his lawyer arri—"

"No need." The newcomer admitted into the room was…not what Sakura had been envisioning.

She saw a smartly dressed woman with a confident stride in a charcoal pencil skirt and pressed blouse. Or perhaps a middle-aged man with serious eyes. The man who joined them was neither.

His taupe gray hair was shaggy, a pronounced piece sticking off in an odd sweep near the top of his part. The neutral expression on his features were cool, enhanced by a set of scars, one slashed at the bottom of his jaw on the left side, and the other a slightly puckered, wide line across his throat.

He wore a dark green tie against a starch white shirt and plain black pants, and instead of sensible loafers or expensive basilisk-skin shoes—lawyer shoes—he clopped over in steel-toed boots that added to his already impressive height.

While Sakura's jaw didn't drop, it was a very near thing. The lawyer looked less like a legal defender and more like a brawler. Prince Kankuro had insured he only hired the best for his brother, but maybe the attorney hadn't arrived. Maybe this was…a new personal bodyguard for the real lawyer. His light brown eyes swept over her, and he nodded politely before focusing squarely on Gaara. "I'd like some time alone with my client and his Summoner, please."

Sakura gulped softly. So much for the fleeting hope that Gaara's fate didn't rest in the hands of a man who looked like a career delinquent. The guards left, explaining that they would be just outside the door.

Once the three of them were alone, the gray-haired man hummed a sigh, setting his thick briefcase and a folder on the table. "Prince Gaara, it's been a long while."

"You managed to become incredibly successful in that time, Shira."

Sakura whirled around, wide-eyed. "You know each other?"

Shira sat down, nodding slightly. Sakura quickly drew the conclusion that he wasn't scowling, he was just unfortunate enough to have a resting angry face. "For many years my father was the king's retained lawyer. He retired several years ago, and I had been training to take his place. His Highness and I grew up acquaintances, occasionally sparring together."

Hearing that, the girl let her eyes dart down to the scar across his neck. It had to have been pretty nasty when it happened. It was obvious she hadn't been discreet enough when Shira frowned a little at her. "This is unrelated."

"R-Right, I know…I'm sorry." Sakura swallowed. "Um…I hope it doesn't offend you, but if you've only recently become the royal attorney, you can't have taken on many cases this big."

"No, I can't say that I have. The king only brought me in for smaller issues. Princess Temari also required me to represent her once. To serve and clear the name of the prince in the trial of my career is an honor though."

Some form of doubt must have still been showing on her face. "Shira is very competent. He may look brutish, but his mind is incredibly analytical." Gaara's rasping voice drew her attention. Already, he seemed much calmer, so much different to the manic, desperate person he had been on the rooftop, or the jaded loner from the times before. Was this closer to the true Gaara?

"I didn't say…brutish," Sakura argued. "Or incompetent."

"But you had your doubts," Shira inclined his head, not in the least offended. "I understand. You've only just become the prince's Summoner, and the stakes couldn't be higher. I'm fully aware of what's on the line."

Her breath hitched. Behind his passive stare was a well of deep resolve. This Shira character wasn't just feeding her lip service. At least, she didn't think so. "What's going to happen?"

"Put simply, they're going to bring up incriminating evidence from witnesses likely coerced in some way. I'm sure the council that didn't even grant Prince Gaara a fair trial in the first place isn't going to back off and make it easier now. They'll have a prosecutor that doesn't pull any punches. It's going to be...personal for you, your Highness."

"Shira, there's no need for those formalities," The tanuki bowed his head. "And you speak of it as if it hasn't been personal all along."

"Yes, but you're not the only one on trial, technically speaking."

Sakura straightened as two sets of eyes slowly drifted her way. "M-Me?" she poked herself in the chest.

"Legally, Summons are the property of their masters, and that is no different even in circumstances such as this. Even if you were not bound at the time, you are now. They'll pin blame on you as well somehow."

Something flickered, warm and fierce, spreading through her veins rapidly. "Fine, if that's how they want to play it then I'm ready." She squeezed her fist closed. "Something being out of my control hasn't stopped me up until now."

"Ah," Shira studied her. "Your spirit is admirable. I hope I'm not too forward in saying you'll be a fine Royal Summoner when this is all over."

Sakura blushed, knowing her tanuki partner was still looking her way. "I don't think I'm going to get used to having a title or sway in an official capacity. I'm not…even a citizen of Suna. Maybe we should focus on what's right in front of us first."

"Agreed," Shira rolled his shoulders. "Then I can tell you exactly the way I plan to go about dismantling all the claims until they have no choice but to declare Prince Gaara innocent of all charges."

Sakura scooted into the table, hanging on his every word. Gaara didn't budge, but he was listening.

Prince Kankuro might've just known what he was doing after all.

* * *

Her restless nerves were starting to get to her. Sakura watched her own knee bouncing around. She wasn't used to so much pent-up nervous energy. To her left, Sai was focusing on Naruto as he preoccupied himself inspecting buttons and compartments.

Since the armored escort vehicle had arrived to take them to the courthouse, the kitsune couldn't help but let his curiosity take hold. "Naruto, don't you think you should sit on your hands or something?" Kushina scolded, turning slightly from her spot one row ahead of them to narrow her eyes in warning.

Seeing the expression on his mother's face had him withdrawing his fingers from the panel of buttons he'd been keen to press. "Ah, Mom!" he complained. "They've got a tail massager! When's the next time I'm gonna get to check this stuff out?"

"You don't even have tails right now," she clucked disapprovingly. "And can't you see your Summoner is nervous. Be more attentive!" Contrary to the look she'd given her son, Kushina's smile for Sakura was full of understanding and patience. But the pinkette still felt like shrinking away from it, because it had drawn nearly all the attention in the car to her.

"I-I'm alright," she insisted. "Just ready to get this all over with. Thank you for riding with us."

"Thank _you_ for the ride," Minato smiled, turning around too. "Naruto wasn't the only one about to burst with impatience since dawn." He presented his wife with a meaningful stare, to which she scoffed, pushing at his face. "Seeing you all before the trial was important for us."

"We aren't going off to war." Naruto muttered.

"Don't you ever leave well enough alone?" Tsunade scolded from the middle of Minato and Kushina's row. "You can't seriously be that dense. Your parents were worried, brat."

Sakura was expecting it when her godmother and mentor shot her a careful gaze. She was probably afraid Sakura would think of how she'd only gotten a brief text from her own parents, saying they were disappointed, but they would meet them in time for the start of the trial. Truthfully, the fae would almost prefer their support from afar. Very far. No matter the outcome in the courtroom, there was no way her mother was going to let recent events go.

"The worst case scenario won't affect Naruto-kun directly." Sai said, "Prince Gaara will be the one who—"

"Sai!" Sakura warned, already filled with agitation and running on too little sleep. She wasn't above pulling on her feline Summon's cheeks until they were stained red the rest of the day. It would be a great incentive for him to talk much less.

One slow blink from his dark eyes and then he quieted. She wasn't optimistic enough to think he had picked up any social cues. No, their bond just made her irritation a little hard to ignore when it shot straight through their link, amplified by the Evoker.

"We're almost there…" Sakura breathed out, watching the equally striking and ominous stone and marble building that was unmistakably the courthouse come into view.

Her heart hammered wildly at the sight of the crowds of reporters and nosey citizens and law enforcement already swarming the front entrance. Thankfully, because of her status as a minor, Suna allowed for them to enter through a much more private entrance, and the large, unmarked vehicle with its tented windows took them around back.

Prince Kankuro, a blonde woman and royal guards were waiting for them already. So was Shira.

Guards opened the doors for them as soon as the car had stopped. Naruto and Sai jumped out on their own, naturally, and Sakura was prepared to scoot across the seat and climb down when a rough hand was offered to her. "Oh, I think I can manage," she said with a shake of her head. The guard's thick eyebrow raised, but he withdrew his hand. Sakura tried to carefully get out, mindful of her heels (why she had listened when Tsunade told her to wear them was another matter), yelping when hands settled at her waist.

"I've got you, Sakura-chan!" She didn't even have time to bat Naruto away as he lifted her out and set her down on the concrete, his eyes bright with pride.

"Er, thanks Naruto." She tried to avoid the curious looks she was getting from the royals and the smirk she saw from Kushina. "But I could've done it."

"Sorry, it's just I heard heels are hard to walk in, ya know?" The gesture was sweet, thoughtful enough for her to dismiss her indignation. He continued, "Didn't want you going in with an ugly bruise on your face!"

Sakura puffed up, and Naruto wilted away, covering his own face with a quick apology.

A feminine laugh startled them, and Sakura was instantly mortified.

The young woman was a few years older at best, with her wheaten hair tied off at the four corners of her head, and pretty eyes that didn't look like they missed a thing. She didn't bare a very strong resemblance to Gaara, either, but Sakura had a feeling she knew who this was. "Kankuro told me our brother's Summoner was feisty, but seeing is believing." A hand fell to her cocked hip. "I'm Temari, Gaara's older sister." Yes, and the soon-to-be-queen.

It was that thought that had her scrambling to correct her faux paus. "H-Haruno Sakura," she stuttered out, flying into a bow.

"There's no need for that, Sakura," Kankuro patted her shoulder. "You're a Royal Summoner. We're going to be seeing a lot more of each other."

Taken aback by how accepting they were, Sakura could only nod slowly. "R-right, thank you."

"I should head inside. Prince Gaara will be arriving soon and I'm walking into the courtroom with him," Shira said, bowing to the prince and princess and nodding to everyone else before he took his leave.

"I think that's our cue to head in, too." Tsunade mused, to which everyone seemed to agree.

Noticing Sai had been oddly quiet for a while, or at the least, less intrusive, Sakura hung back, gesturing for everyone to walk ahead as she fell in step with her first Summon. "Do you have something on your mind?"

He looked down at her with his usual composed countenance, and then a small wrinkle furrowed his brow. "You're going to great lengths for him, even though you could get hurt, and your initial attempts to help were met with hostility. Similarly, despite the fact that I'm hardly more than a living weapon, you continue to insist my life has value as an individual."

Though she was unsure where it was coming from, she couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Because it does. Sai, we've been over this. You can be…difficult to get along with sometimes, but I don't think you're dangerous. At least not to me," she added, very aware that Sai _was_ ruthless in the right circumstances.

"I still don't understand your reasoning." he sighed in defeat. "But I'd like to one day."

"That could take some time," she elbowed him playfully. "In the meantime try not to be too hard on yourself. I think you've already started changing."

Sai stopped, his feet sticking to the ground as if held by cement. Just to be sure, Sakura peered down to check that they hadn't walked into some. She tapped her foot a few times to find dry, solid pavement. The others had paused at the back entrance to wait on them, and she knew they needed to hurry.

"Was it something I said?"

"I've started…to change?"

"Probably," Sakura tugged him by the arm. "From everything I know, you were raised with no autonomy in a harmful environment. Now you're seeing that it doesn't have to be that way. Free will is better. It's going to take time to adjust."

She let him go when he began to walk on his own, but he was keen on continuing to stare at the side of her face. Heat was beginning to creep up the side of her neck. "Well, we can talk more about it after this is handled." she offered, receiving only an obedient nod as he followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The character Shira who appears here as Gaara's lawyer is a character from one of the anime filler arcs! So he's not an OC of mine but reading over his profile and drawing from what I remembered, I thought he might actually fit this role better than one of the better known characters I could've used.


	20. A Sign of the Crimes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trial begins and the prosecution is ruthless. Plus, she's not the only opponent lurking in the courthouse. If all the moving parts aren't enough, Sakura finds herself contending with her difficult parents.

The courtroom filled up quickly as jurors, witnesses, the royal family and everyone else in between filed in. A courtroom artist with dimly glowing neon hair perched in a corner with a canvas and four arms at the ready, each holding paint-laden brushes of different sides. For obvious reasons, reporters were kept out, all of them instead posting outside the courthouse.

There were no cameras to televise the proceedings either, but only because the one on trial wasn't of legal age. Shira had told him that the Wind Kingdom would most likely try get that overturned in light of circumstances, but that he doubted they'd be successful.

Sakura waited with bated breath, eyes zeroed in on Gaara where he sat with his attorney in the defense box.

Any second the judge would begin the trial and her heart felt like a war drum in her chest. Not to mention she had the most insufferable, inconvenient itch of her life, square in the middle of her back! As she tried to subtly ease her hand back to reach it, her gaze found a smug, dark pair of eyes set in a handsome face. Barely holding in an angry gasp, Sakura glared over at Uchiha Madara. She couldn't decide which she found more disgusting: his pressed designer suit or the expression of confidence.

' _It figures he'd show up here…is it to testify against Gaara? Or just to try and throw me off? Ugh!'_

"All rise for the honorable Judge Mimura." Sakura's head snapped forward as a rather unassuming man of average height with neat facial hair entered the courtroom, dark robes billowing past his knees. Standing along with the rest of the room, the fae discreetly kept eyes on Madara until the bailiff instructed everyone to be seated.

"This is docket number 49530: Sabaku no Gaara vs the Wind Kingdom. Sabaku no Gaara stands accused of murdering King Rasa. How do you plead?" Sakura felt her fingers clench the wooden bench underneath her so hard that her bicep tensed. A soft touch provoked a subdued jump, only to find Kushina's steadfast gaze as she reached around Naruto to tap her shoulder.

Slowly, she nodded to the woman in gratitude, her lip finding its way between her teeth as Shira spoke. "Not guilty, Your Honor."

"Very well." Judge Mimura leaned over his bench. "At this time the prosecution may come forward to make its opening statement."

A few whispers rose as the gate to the prosecution's section swung open with a creak of hinges. Sakura watched a slender woman saunter out, dressed smartly yet fashionably in red pumps, a matching pencil skirt and a black blazer.

They made eye contact when the prosecutor turned, Sakura taking in the woman's face and committing it to memory. The twinkle in her deep blue eyes was accentuated by golden eye shadow and expertly applied mascara. The smirk on her full, pink-painted lips was bordering cocky and when she lifted her chin Sakura saw the beauty mark on the left side of her mouth. A conventionally beautiful woman who knew exactly how she presented herself.

When she turned back to the front of the courtroom, her long maroon hair fluttered, as if she were dismissing the pinkette. She reached up a clawed, manicured hand to push it behind one of her ears, her soft gray wings tucked up against her spine.

Sakura instantly decided that even if she'd met this woman on the street, the feeling of dislike stirring in her chest would still be present. It could be unfair, considering she was only doing what she was hired to do. But Sakura had very rarely met a harpy who wasn't full of herself.

One of her old school bullies had been one, and she loved digging her long nails into Sakura's thin shoulders and then flying her up to dangle her until she was on the verge of tears.

This wasn't the same blue-haired, popular girl from her class, but Sakura sensed the same spirit. The same type of bully.

Pivoting gracefully, she cleared her throat as her sapphire eyes glided over everyone gathered. "Hello ladies, gentleman and others of the courtroom. My name is Terashima Fuka." She greeted, cocking one hip. "Today we're brought here for one reason and one reason only—that is to decide if one Prince Sabaku no Gaara deserves to go free in the face of the serious charges brought against him. Not long ago on an evening in April, Sabaku no Rasa, ruler of the Wind Kingdom, was found brutally murdered." She strutted around, periodically shooting looks to Gaara and his attorney. "At the time the kingdom was rightfully filled with shock and grief, and focus shifted to who could have perpetrated a crime so bold and grievous…well, I intend to prove that the person who could commit the crime is exactly the person on trial here today."

Fuka glared over at Gaara, and an unexpected pull of anger thrummed up through the Evoker. Not from Gaara, whose feelings were locked down tight as ever. And not from Sai, who watched the proceedings blankly. But from Naruto, who leaned forward in his seat with a small snarl of contempt. Sakura could completely understand the sentiment. Fuka gave her the same feelings.

Still, it wouldn't be good if anyone were to look over and see hostile reactions when the trial had barely started. Placing one hand gingerly over the bloodstone, Sakura did her best to send a wave of reassurance to her Summon, though she was no less on edge. From the corner of her eye she watched as Naruto twitched, head swinging in her direction with curiosity etched into his features.

When their gazes connected, Sakura granted him a small smile, and he returned it with a subdued but grateful one, settling back on the bench again.

"Thank you, Ms. Terashima." Judge Mimura said. "At this time we'll hear opening statements from the defense team."

Fuka walked back to her seat as Shira got up, the two attorneys sharp contrasts to each other in everything from appearance to attitudes. Standing tall, the gray-haired man was more in his element than the last time she'd seen him. Stone-faced, he addressed the court in a steady tone, "My client has lived in fear for his life for weeks over the decision to convict him of a serious crime without proper due process. Who here among us would willingly lay down and die when there was a chance that we could live to prove our innocence? Yes, the fact stands that King Rasa was murdered, but I ask that the court hears all evidence before coming to any final conclusions. At the very least, let's not throw two lives away without due process."

Sakura took the chance to peek around the room, finding that everyone's eyes were glued to Shira. The prosecutor's face was twisted in exasperation, probably thinking Shira's levelheaded remarks had done a better job countering her passionate opening statement than she would've liked. Sakura allowed herself a small smirk.

"Thank you, counselor." The judge shifted in his seat. "That'll conclude the opening statements, so at this time we can move on to the meat of the trial."

Her heart galloped quicker, knowing that the uphill climb to prove Gaara's innocence had only begun. She still didn't know what Madara was doing here, and who knew how many other shady individuals were lurking.

As Shira walked by the benches, they met eyes, and he nodded subtly. _'He's so calm and focused. I have to do what I can to follow his lead. It's for Gaara's sake._ ' Fist clenched in her lap, the pink-haired girl focused on relaxing her posture as the judge told the prosecution to come back up.

Fuka was all too eager to return, the smugness still oozing out of her even as she kept her expression neutral. "At this time I'd like to call my first witness to the stand: Elder Eiji of the Suna Grand Council." There was a distinct scrape as a man dressed surprisingly in layered, flowing robes that dragged the ground and leaning into a cane made his way to the witness stand. His face was turned at an angle that was hard for Sakura to see clearly, but she could tell he was at the least middle-aged and his dark hair appeared faded. Once he had seated himself and faced the audience of the courtroom, the bailiff swore him in. Fuka clacked over in her heels, hands behind her back and nearly tipping forward.

"Elder Eiji would you please tell the court what it is you do." she cooed.

Naruto quietly scoffed at the syrupy tone.

"Why yes," Eiji nodded, his face stern. "I have the position of Elder because I've been on the council through several generations of Sunan royalty. My job is to help consider matters of the kingdom in conjunction with the crown."

Fuka hummed thoughtfully, her voice echoing in the courtroom as she continued her line of questioning. "So you knew the king very well?"

"Yes, ever since he was just a princeling himself."

Fuka's wings twitched as she folded her arms. "And what would you say about his relationship with his children?"

"He was firm." The man remarked. Sakura wondered if 'firm' was a soft descriptor, as it could often be said about her own mother. "Couldn't ever accuse him of being too doting. He had high expectations about how his children should present themselves, as successors to the crown."

"Would you say any of them resented the fact? Any particularly…rebellious phases?" Her eyes drifted to Gaara, who sat in a pressed suit with his eyes straight ahead, following along.

Elder Eiji's eyes shifted to the redhead as well, and then he raised a fist to his lips and cleared his throat. "The young Prince Gaara has been troubled for some time. King Rasa often had castle staff trailing his every move, in case there was need for damage control. But I'm sure it wasn't much of a secret. As for how that effected their relationship? Well it was strained. There was a tension there whenever they met eyes."

"So there was already a contentious relationship. And when you heard the screams of the late royal physician, you went to investigate. Would you tell the court what you discovered?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes. She had known it was coming, the minute the prosecution started presenting its "damning evidence" against Gaara and she'd be forced to listen silently.

The problem with being linked through the bond only between a Summon and a Summoner was that she _felt it_. He tried not to broadcast; the channel connecting their souls was mostly quiet and had been since it formed. But every now and then something slipped through. A sliver of what he was damming off. And she knew. _He_ felt. He wasn't a dangerous, homicidal monster, rampaging without a conscience. There was a tick in the connection, a figurative sense of Gaara flinching. But outwardly he didn't so much as blink when Elder Eiji stared him down.

"I saw him slipping off quickly, while Yashamaru was tending to the king. But it was too late. His Majesty was gone."

Fuka spun to fully look at the court, no longer fighting to subdue her proud expression. "No further questions, thank you."

The same slow scrape came from the cane meeting tiles when Eiji made his way back to his seat. "At this time I'd like to call my next witness to the stand." She flung her arm to the side, curling her finger in a beckoning motion. Sakura happened to see Naruto rolling his eyes at the exact same time she did. The woman had a flair for the dramatic, in the most obnoxious way. "Kusakabe Matsuri."

An audible, shuddering breath came from a girl her age with honey brown hair who stood abruptly. She swayed, a concerned hand from the man beside her landing on her shoulder. Nodding stiffly, she scrambled her way out of the bench, one hand maintaining a tight grip on her skirt. A prickle of surprise tugged the link, and Sakura peeked over at Gaara to see his jaw clenched and his face drawn. He clearly knew her, but what was the connection? There was a sinking feeling she was about to find out, and the way Fuka was playing this whole thing, Sakura didn't imagine it being pretty.

The girl quietly allowed herself to be sworn in and took the stand, all but glaring tearfully at the prosecutor's prim façade. "Ms. Kusakabe, thank you for joining us today. I'd like to start off by saying I know this couldn't be easy for you, given your connection to the accused." Sakura felt something tighten inside, and she couldn't tell if it was from her most recent Summon or her own apprehension sawing through her. "For the sake of everyone in the court, please tell us your relationship to Prince Gaara."

Kusakabe Matsuri blinked rapidly, frowning at the wood of the witness stand and then sucking in a breath. "We're childhood friends and…I was his fiancé for a time."

"Ah, and this was arranged, correct?"

"Yes." The question seemed to ignite some hidden fuse inside, because Sakura could see fire in Matsuri's eyes suddenly, her whole body language shifting into something more confident.

"But it was called off, eventually. In your words, why was that?"

Gritting her teeth, Matsuri leaned into the microphone. "King Rasa didn't feel like it was wise to proceed. So he cancelled the betrothal."

"Would you say it was because the king thought of you as unfit to be queen, or because he discovered his son was far too unstable to take the throne?"

A stiff silence blanketed the room, no one daring to so much as cough. Matsuri sat blank-faced on the stand, finally glowering openly at the lawyer. "I wouldn't be able to say. The king never disclosed to me why he wanted the marriage called off."

"Yes, that's fair." Fuka decided, actually twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "Did you remain close to the prince, even afterwards?"

Matsuri cast a fleeting glance Gaara's way, her eyes full of something Sakura couldn't quite place, as though she were desperate for the message to reach the redhead on trial. "Yes, we did. Right up until his um, his 'death'."

Fuka began to walk back and forth again, her wings catching the bright light distractingly. Maybe it was petty of her, especially considering the amount of time she'd taken growing out and grooming her hair in middle school, but Sakura couldn't help but feel like there was a whole primping routine behind those wings.

To shine that immaculately there had to be something she was doing to them, or maybe it was an artificial sheen created by a wing-mist product. In the end she concluded grudgingly she was desperate for an imperfection to focus on, to match the feeling of growing disdain she had for the prosecuting attorney.

"So one could argue that you'd be as much a part of Prince Gaara's inner circle as his personal staff and family." The prosecutor declared in a way that suggested she'd already drawn the conclusion. "What was he like leading up to the incident? Did _you_ observe a strained relationship between he and his father?"

Matsuri frowned, "Gaara's father, the king, was always hardest on him I'd think. He had big expectations because Gaara was the only one to inherit sand manipulation. If it was strained, then it wasn't simply because Gaara wanted it to be…"

"Ah, and do you _love_ him, Ms. Kusakabe?"

In an instant, everyone in attendance seemed to be leaning forward, Matsuri's whole countenance paling as her widened eyes whipped to study Fuka incredulously. "I…Wha—"

"Objection, Your Honor." Shira's quiet but steady voice drawled, "This isn't at all relevant to the witness's testimony."

"Sustained." Judge Mimura agreed. "Please try to keep this from becoming a session of idle gossip, Ms. Terashima."

Sighing as if she were bored, Fuka looked toward the judge's bench. "No further questions at this time, Your Honor."

Sakura could plainly see the relief on Matsuri's face, and she couldn't blame her.

"What do you think the deal is there?" Naruto whispered, nearly causing her to jump. She refrained from scolding the kitsune, noting that Matsuri was indeed looking at Gaara fretfully.

"Not sure…" she answered truthfully. But the fact that there was history and Matsuri was reluctant to be testifying was clear.

"At this time the defense would like to cross-examine the witness."

"Proceed."

Wringing her hands, Matsuri, whose face was still an interesting shade of red, watching Shira approaching her warily. Her lips were still thinned, as if the mere thought of anything mildly incriminating slipping from her mouth was too great a risk.

The next period of questioning that followed was almost a blur to Sakura, and she found herself half listening and half zoning out, try as she might to stay engaged. Every now and then information would slip into her addled brain, answers from Matsuri about the kind of child Gaara had been. The kindness he was capable of with those he trusted, such as Matsuri herself, as well as his siblings.

The way the relationship had grown tumultuous as he grew older and his father pushed him further in his training with his sand. The routine he tended to stick to in the evenings, which Shira clarified would have put him far from the king's location at his time of death, not closer. Although she had began testimony as Fuka's witness, Shira seemed to be more careful with her, his method thorough but not heavy-handed. Little by little Matsuri's posture relaxed, and some of her color returned.

In the span of what felt like fifteen minutes but was likely closer to an hour and a half, the judge had declared there would be a recess before the witness testimonials continued.

Gaara was of course escorted off by guards, back to some holding cell no doubt. They briefly connected eyes, but there was no discernable expression to pick up on before he was out of her line of sight. Kankuro and Temari were allowed to exit next, heavily protected by their many bodyguards. They spared her nods and tight smiles that spoke of their stress as they passed.

A hint of expensive cologne and a flash of long, black hair caught her attention, and Sakura wanted to bare her non-existent fangs at the unwanted presence of Uchiha Madara. He merely smirked as he walked by, as if he knew something she didn't. ' _That guy…he's up to something. There's no way he's here as a passive observer. What'd be the point? He's already made it clear what he's willing to do to get me working for the RCMM._ '

The gradual spill out of the courtroom was slow, and Sakura decided she would simply wait until there was less blockage by the doors. Naruto and Sai picked up on her intentions and stayed by her side, though it was pretty clear the kitsune was raring to get out and stretch his legs.

In the time she'd known Naruto and become acquainted with his energy, nothing about him suggested sitting for extended periods of time was easy for him. Kushina flashed her a small grin (in comparison to the stern ' _you behave!_ ' expression she gave her son) as she and Minato joined the crowd and slipped out too.

Tsunade moved closer without leaving the benches. "Your parents should be here by now. I know you're not up to it, believe me, but it's better not to prolong the inevitable."

Despite knowing how right her godmother was, Sakura still tried to convey her desperation to do just about anything but that. Her mother's ranting and raging and her father's very weak attempts at pacification weren't what her nerves needed now. Or at any point in the ordeal…

Her stomach churned, all thoughts of finding a vending machine and getting a refreshing drink vanishing.

Fishing into her purse, she gathered what she felt was a reasonable amount of money, thrusting it at Naruto. "Here. Find some snack machines. Stick with Sai, though."

The blonde looked ready to protest, shooting a sharp glare over his shoulder at the oblivious brunette. "Naruto, don't start!" she warned. He cringed, and if his fox ears were out, they'd be folded down for certain.

"Fine, I get it. Just meet up with us soon." He spun around and seized Sai by the collar of his white button-up. "Let's get this over with."

* * *

To say Naruto was frustrated to be once again stuck with the awkward werecat was an understatement. The guy was just…so…emotionally stunted. And any attempts at conversation he could make with him usually ended up with something outrageously insulting leaving the shapeshifter's mouth. Sakura probably wouldn't like it if Sai was missing some teeth when they met up with her, so he didn't try to initiate any conversations with the other Summon.

All types of well-dressed people milled through the halls of the courthouse, many of them blank-faced while some had light conversations. Naruto shouldered by most of them, occasionally looking back over his shoulder to make sure the guy he was practically babysitting hadn't wondered off. ' _Yeah right, I'd never get that lucky.'_ Sai was right at his heels, as stoic as anyone else they passed.

Although he wouldn't say it aloud for a month's supply of ramen, the dark-haired boy actually cleaned up nice in formal attire. Sakura had been sure his hair was brushed to a shine, and rushed to find clothes that fit him perfectly. Nothing like his normal tight crop-tops.

Sai's dark eyes shifted, locking with his own gaze. "If you keep staring at me so openly, Naruto-kun, I'm going to have no choice but to smack you."

"As if!" Flustered, Naruto made sure to keep focused on where he was going again, letting his sense of smell expand. Past the myriad of colognes, the scent of crisp paper and an odd undercurrent of basilisk leather, a tantalizing new fragrance wafted into his nose. "You smell that, right?"

Sai stopped walking, nearly bumping into his back as he tilted his head back and took a few experimental sniffs of his own. "It's food."

"Hell yeah it is!" Naruto could feel his excitement growing. His mom had told him he didn't have time to fill up on a huge breakfast that morning, so he'd made due with the oat cakes and cereal she'd given him.

Needless to say now enough time had passed for that to have burned away and he was _starving_. When a pair of women pushed their way through the doors of the courthouse cafeteria he may or may not have nearly bowled them over trying to enter.

He couldn't even be bothered to see if Sai was keeping up, not with his stomach calling the shots. Saliva coated his tongue as his eyes drifted to the vending machines, then to the various hot food on steam tables. ' _It all looks so good? Where should I even start?'_ The fox was ready to go see what the first area was offering, when a wholly unpleasant scent hit him full on, and the hairs along his neck rose. His fangs felt too big for his mouth suddenly, the way they always did when he wanted to bare them. "You!" he snarled, surprised when it was Sai that grabbed him tight by the shoulder as Uchiha Madara walked by.

He stopped and slowly regarded them as if he hadn't even noticed them there at all (something Naruto knew to be unlikely because the man was definitely some kind of supernatural, too). A sharp, dangerous smirk pulled at his mouth.

"What a great coincidence." he mused, taking a casual sip from the can of coffee he was holding. "Off the leashes today?"

"Leashing is unnecessary and not part of our normal routine." Sai said.

Naruto shrugged the hand from his shoulder as soon as it slacked, staring the daunting figure down, making his distrust plainly known. "You here to try and throw us back into cells? Forget it."

"Not everything revolves around you, Uzumaki Naruto. It was your talented Summoner, Ms. Haruno, who I wanted to speak to at the time anyway." Madara explained flippantly, tucking his free hand into his trouser pocket. "I'm here on other business."

"Stay _away_ from Sakura-chan." It wasn't the place, he tried to remind himself, feeling his claws elongate from his fingernails. The one thing he couldn't afford to do was get into trouble. Any other time he'd happily go toe to toe with this guy, no matter what the odds were.

Several people in line to pay for food stared, and a security guard gave them all a scrutinizing look. But Madara was quick to put on a charming half-smile and wave them off, and as if under a spell they looked away.

Naruto blinked, not believing they'd easily back down with that small act of pacification.

An amused huff and a few steps was all it took for Madara to be so close their noses nearly touched. He leaned down into the kitsune's face. "You have no idea what happens to people bold enough to defy me, do you Naruto? But how could you—you're just some insolent kit." An involuntary shudder made itself known, instincts screaming at him that he was in the presence of a superior predator.

Not even Sai, a jungle cat, or Gaara, a powerful tanuki, made the same sort of warning ring through his bones.

As he tried to take a deeper breath of air, Sai surprisingly shouldered between the two, staring Madara down almost in boredom. Naruto bit back a gasp, his cornflower blue eyes wide. "You're—"

"And now you? You're even less remarkable than he is." Madara remarked, taking a half-step back to give them both another once over. "Just a dulled blade in clumsy hands. I don't think you want to cross me either _5,086_."

Sai visibly flinched, his eyes glossing over. Naruto didn't understand what the hell was happening, but he knew letting Madara get in either of their heads wasn't good. "Snap out of it," he commanded, thumping the jaguar on the back of the head. Moving Sai away by the arm, he glared fully at their enemy. "He's Sai, asshole, not some barcode. And a fancy court can't keep me from kicking your ass forever."

He could feel the eyes drilling into their backs as he all but dragged the shaken Sai away. But Madara didn't say anything else or move to follow them. His appetite had dissolved just like that, but if Sakura found out they hadn't had anything, she'd probably be upset.

Spotting the vending machines, he dragged the werecat over, determined they'd gorge on sugary snacks.

* * *

The pleasantries came first. The hugs, the questions about if she was doing alright. Her parents were calm and supportive when the situation arose, but who knew how long that would last. The minute Mebuki asked Tsunade if the Haruno family could be alone to talk, Sakura knew what to expect. The flash of concern on her mother's face evaporated as the pinkette found herself pulled into a deserted hall near a stairwell.

"Sakura, what is all this about? We're getting calls about you _being apprehended_ by the RCMM?" Her father began, his mustache twitching as he frowned. He started to reach for one end, a habit when he was feeling fidgety, but his wife's hand on his arm stopped him.

Unable to come up with anything remotely convincing to defend herself, she bowed her head. "If that's not an admission then I don't know what is." Mebuki said, curt. When had this person, forever more concerned with the Haruno legacy than her daughter's feelings, become her mother? "We gave you extra time to handle whatever affairs you had before we brought you home, and this is how you spend it? Getting in one mess after another."

"It's not my fault! I didn't ask for Summoning magic," Sakura protested. "Growing up, you barely wanted me using my earth magic without supervision."

"With good reason!" Mebuki's voice lifted along with one of her arm. "Don't you remember that last time back home, when you nearly lost yourself?" Sakura _did_ remember. One of the greatest shames of her childhood.

On a roll, her mother refused to let up, "We're standing in a courtroom in a foreign country, Sakura! And the man magic has tied to you as your Summon is on trial for killing the king!" The sound of her voice only amplified in the empty space, and it took the blonde fae a moment to compose herself. When she had smoothed down her blouse she looked expectantly toward her husband. "Tell her, Kizashi."

Her father's turn to try and talk sense into her, with his good cop routine. He came closer and gently placed his hands on her shoulders, peering into her eyes. "Sakura, you have to understand. Geothermal manipulation is on the dangerous side of earth magic, and while you can't control what and who you were born to be, we just want you safe. Be honest with me, have you used it at all lately?"

Sakura worried her lip, wondering what repercussions she was going to have to face before it was all over. If the RCMM didn't get her, there was always the possibility that her overbearing parents would send her off to a stuffy bordering school somewhere.

There, a no-nonsense headmistress and judgmental classmates, along with a flow of uppity instructors and maybe a private tutor, would watch her flail to navigate the remainder of her teen years. With several types of rare magic flowing through her veins and her family's precious legacy on her shoulders.

"I've only really used it once to the extent that I did that day." She admitted quietly. "The day I formed a Summoning bond with Gaara."

An impregnable silence descended on the family of three. To make matters worse, the damn itch below her shoulders was back with a vengeance, but it seemed like the worst time to start vigorously scratching.

Sakura was sure the next words out of their mouths would be "Pack your bags. You're going to boarding school."

Instead, Mebuki's voice was eerily calm as she asked a single question. "And?"

"…And?" she repeated.

"What were the results of the, uh, attempt. I'm assuming Tsunade wasn;t there." Kizashi added.

"I was able to counter his sand and calm him down. He was in a really broken state and—"

"Then you're actually learning?" Mebuki interrupted, eyeing her shrewdly as if she could sense a lie.

While she hadn't called upon her magic in so long, Sakura was sure that with Tsunade's training she'd learned better overall control. That had to extend to control of innate magical power too. "I think so. Yes." she replied, more confident.

Her parents shared a look, not looking particularly swayed either way. "We should let this trial pass…you're prepared for the fact that you're bound to be called as a witness?" Her mother raised a fine brow.

Sakura quickly nodded. "Shira, the defense attorney, told me. I'm ready."

"You say that, but you're just a child, Sakura. This is the trial of the century."

Sakura tried to fight down a scowl. "The last time we talked you said I needed to grow up. This is me trying to do that. I made a promise. I bound myself to Gaara even knowing this would happen. I can't…I mean I won't turn my back on him now."

Mebuki didn't look too pleased, but she didn't look entirely unimpressed either. "The look in your eyes when you get like this. I've always disliked it, but I can't deny that the older you get, the more I see myself."

Sakura supposed that was as close to her mother complimenting her integrity as she was going to get.

"Thank you for coming," she told them, starting to turn around, "But the break's going to be over soon. I need to meet up with Naruto and Sai and then get ready to head back in."

Her shoes tapped loudly on the polished floor, before a second set of footsteps rushed to follow. "Sakura-chan, wait,"

Sighing, she saw her dad had given into the temptation to play with his facial hair, his eyes thoughtful. "These boys, Naruto and Sai? Maybe we should meet them. We weren't able to the last time."

Rolling her eyes lightly, she shook her head. "I've been living with them all this time and it's only now you feel the need to be protective?"

Flushing, Kizashi began to sputter. "Er, well, at the time everything was happening so quickly and—when you say you've been living with them, just how closely?"

"Dad," she groaned, well and truly done with the conversation.

"Your father has a point." And now her mother was getting in on it. "Lead us to these boys. I'd like to see them for myself."

It was as Tsunade had said, fighting the inevitable was futile when it came to her parents. She just hoped Sai and Naruto weren't having an off day… Her mother sometimes seemed more like an apex predator scenting for signs of fear than a respectable member of Fae Society.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no officially exported all the chapters to AO3! The next one is in the works and it should be easier to keep up with cross-posting now. I'd really love it if people tried to comment here to let me know what they're thinking so far. Thanks so much to those who already have.


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